Three people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne, who fell from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires last month, Argentine authorities reported on Thursday.
The 31-year-old’s tragic death stunned fans worldwide and raised questions about the circumstances of his fall.
A 911 call from a hotel employee on the day of Payne's death reported that he had been acting aggressively and may have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
An autopsy revealed the former boy band member had traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system when he died, a prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Thursday.
Payne’s body was handed over to his father, Geoff, over the weekend and flown back to his native England. Over the past few weeks, Geoff had been seen alongside longtime One Direction bodyguard, Paul Higgins, at the CasaSur hotel where his son died.
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Those charged in Payne’s death include a suspected drug dealer, a hotel employee who may have provided Payne with the cocaine and a person who was close to the singer, the authorities said.
All are accused of playing a role in giving Payne the drugs, with the hotel employee accused of giving Payne cocaine at least twice during his stay and the alleged drug dealer believed to have provided it twice more two days before his death.
The person who was visiting with Payne is also charged with “abandonment of a person followed by death,” authorities said.
None of those charged were named, but will be notified and are prohibited from leaving the country, according to the statement.
Prosecutors stated that the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death is ongoing, noting that they are still working to unlock the singer’s damaged laptop.
Witnesses told local media that they saw Payne smashing his laptop in the hotel lobby prior to the incident.
