By Argentinian authorities announced Thursday that three people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne, who died after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony on October 16.
The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office said one person who was with the artist faces charges of abandonment of a person followed by death and drug-related offenses. Two others — a hotel employee and an unnamed individual — were charged with supplying drugs. Authorities have not released the names of those charged.
Toxicology reports revealed traces of alcohol, cocaine, and prescription antidepressants in Payne’s system, prosecutors said. The 31-year-old singer’s death was attributed to “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” from the fall, according to the post-mortem examination.
Medical reports suggest Payne may have been semi-conscious or unconscious when he fell, leading prosecutors to rule out any voluntary act. “He did not know what he was doing nor did he understand it,” the prosecutor’s office stated.
Hotel staff had made two emergency calls reporting a guest who had consumed “too many drugs and alcohol” and was “trashing the entire room,” authorities previously disclosed. Police discovered substances in his room along with destroyed furniture and objects.
The investigation has expanded to include nine raids on Buenos Aires residences. Authorities continue examining Payne’s broken laptop and other seized devices, having already reviewed more than 800 hours of security footage and collected dozens of testimonies from hotel staff, family members, friends, and medical professionals.
Payne’s body was released to his family Wednesday for return to the United Kingdom. The father of one rose to global fame after appearing on The X Factor and joining One Direction in the 2010s, becoming one of pop music’s most recognizable stars.
His former bandmates Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, and Harry Styles released a joint statement saying they were “completely devastated” and would miss him “terribly,” adding that the “memories we shared with him will be treasured forever.” Tributes also came from former partner Cheryl and music producer Simon Cowell.
Thousands of fans have gathered at memorial events worldwide to remember the singer.
