The tragic death of Liam Payne, former One Direction member, has shocked fans worldwide as Argentine police have arrested three individuals in connection to his death. They are accused of supplying drugs and abandoning the singer before he fell from a hotel balcony, leading to his death on October 16, 2024.
Three Suspects in Custody
According to reports from Variety and La Nación, Argentine authorities have arrested two hotel employees from CasaSur Palermo and a close friend of Liam Payne as part of their investigation into his death. This is the same hotel where Payne fell from the third-floor balcony, sustaining fatal injuries.
One of the arrested suspects is a businessman who allegedly impersonated Liam’s manager during his stay in Buenos Aires. He is accused of abandoning the singer after he had used drugs, just before the fatal fall. Authorities revealed that this individual and Liam had met regularly during the two weeks the singer was in the city. The other two suspects are hotel staff and a drug dealer who allegedly supplied Payne with illicit substances.
Police Raid and Evidence Collection
Following the arrests, police conducted raids on eight locations connected to the suspects. Authorities recovered nine mobile phones, three computers, two hard drives, and a jar of cannabis. Prosecutors claim that the three suspects “abandoned the victim to die” and “provided or facilitated Liam Payne’s drug use.”
Autopsy Results: Drugs Found in Payne’s System
The autopsy revealed that Liam Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine, and prescription antidepressants in his system at the time of his death. Investigators concluded that Payne was likely not fully conscious when he fell, possibly due to the effects of drugs and alcohol. The forensic team has ruled out suicide, instead citing a combination of drug use and the physical impact of the fall as the cause of death.
Prosecutor Andrés Madrea explained that the evidence showed Payne lacked any protective reflexes when he fell and was likely in an altered state of consciousness at the time of the incident.
Surveillance Footage and Drug Use Confirmation
In their investigation, police reviewed over 800 hours of surveillance footage from CasaSur Palermo, which confirmed that Liam Payne had been using various drugs, including cocaine and alcohol, in the days leading up to his death. Authorities also found a Dove soapbox in Payne’s room, which contained white substances believed to be drugs. The soapbox was only accessible to hotel housekeeping staff, raising further suspicion about the involvement of hotel employees.
Liam Payne’s Life After One Direction
Born in 1993, Liam Payne rose to fame as a member of the global pop sensation One Direction, which formed in 2010. The group disbanded in 2016, and its members pursued solo careers. Liam released hits such as “Strip That Down” (2017) and his debut solo album LP1 (2019). In 2023, Payne shared his personal battle with addiction and celebrated 100 days of sobriety in a video on YouTube, announcing that he had regained control of his life. Before his death, Liam Payne traveled to Argentina with his girlfriend Kate Cassidy. The couple attended a concert by Niall Horan, another former member of One Direction, in Buenos Aires. Kate returned to the U.S. just days before Payne’s tragic passing.
