One Direction superstar Liam Payne tragically passed away on October 16 in Buenos Aires due to a fall from the balcony of his hotel room. Now, after thorough investigations, authorities detained three people and formally charged them with “abandonment of a person followed by death, supply, and facilitation of narcotics,” per Argentina’s public prosecutor’s statement.
Payne was only 31 when he passed away and his body arrived home with funeral arrangements being in progress.
Why Payne was in Argentina
Embed from Getty ImagesTMZ broke the news of the superstar’s death. He was in Argentina to support his former bandmate, Niall Horan, at his show in the Movistar Arena earlier in October. He was with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy, but she returned to the US before Payne’s tragic passing.
The first suspect was a friend
Embed from Getty ImagesThe first suspect is said to be a “friend” who was with Payne “on a daily basis.” However, this “friend” left Payne at some point before the superstar tragically passed away. This suspect has been charged with abandonment of a person.
The second suspect may have been involved with drugs
Embed from Getty ImagesThe second suspect is a hotel housekeeper. It is believed that he delivered Payne the drugs in a Dove soap box. Police have been thoroughly investigating the soap box, as only the housekeeping staffers can access that soap within the hotel.
The third suspect could be the supplier
Embed from Getty ImagesThe final suspect is thought to be the drug supplier that provided the late One Direction superstar with the drugs. Both the drug supplier and the hotel housekeeper are facing charges for dealing, supplying, and facilitating the distribution of narcotics.
The police raided the hotel room
Embed from Getty ImagesAccording to TMZ, the police raided the hotel room Tuesday night. In addition, the police allegedly searched the workers’ hotel lockers and reviewed CCTV footage from the hotel CasaSur Palermo, where Payne was staying.
Furthermore, police want to speak to Payne’s “friend” who wasn’t present during the raid.
Payne’s cause of death and toxicology reports
Embed from Getty ImagesPayne’s cause of death was head injuries sustained upon impact due to his tragic fall from the third floor of the hotel. However, toxicology reports revealed that Payne had pink cocaine, a combination of drugs, in his system, in addition to cocaine, benzodiazepine, and crack.
RELATED STORIES
Payne’s struggle with addiction
Embed from Getty ImagesPayne was no stranger to addiction. He was open about his addiction struggles and mental health problems. Rising to fame at a young age took its toll on him, and it is believed that he entered rehab months before his passing.
Geoff Payne’s struggle
Embed from Getty ImagesPayne’s father, Geoff, had to deal with the aftermath of his son’s death. He flew to Buenos Aires two days after his son’s death. Geoff was told that the repatriation process could take four to five days. However, due to the circumstances surrounding his son’s death, it took longer.
Funeral plans
Embed from Getty ImagesA close friend of the late One Direction star told MailOnline about their plans for Payne’s final goodbye and his funeral. He said, “Liam will have a very big send-off, quite probably at a large cathedral somewhere close to his heart.”
Gone but never forgotten
Embed from Getty ImagesPayne is survived by his father, Geoff; mother, Karen; and sisters Nicola and Ruth. He is also survived by his seven-year-old son, Bear, whose mother is his ex-partner Cheryl.
In addition, his former bandmates Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles all expressed their sorrow about his tragic passing.
