Three people have filed charges over Liam Payne’s death in Buenos Aires

CNN
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Three people have been charged in Argentina with crimes related to the death of Liam Payne, a former member of the boy band One Direction, according to prosecutors.

A hotel employee and a suspected drug dealer are among three people charged with the crimes of “exposing a person to death, supplying and arranging narcotics,” Argentine prosecutors also said Thursday.

The 31-year-old British pop star died on October 16 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. According to the prosecutor’s statement, the late singer had alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system before his death.

Toxicology analysis indicated that Payne “may have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness,” it said.

Prosecutors also said medical examinations confirmed the singer’s injuries were “consistent with those caused by a fall from a height.” Investigations have ruled out self-inflicted injuries or the intervention of other people, the office added.

Investigators launched an investigation into the three people after collecting and reviewing evidence, including over 800 hours of video footage, the office added.

The first person is someone who authorities believe spent time with Payne on a “daily” basis during his visit to Buenos Aires. The suspect is accused of “abandoning a person before death and providing and facilitating drugs.”

The second suspect is a hotel employee who “must answer” for allegedly supplying the singer with cocaine “twice” during Payne’s stay at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, the statement said. The third person is someone authorities believe is a “narcotics supplier” and is suspected of supplying drugs to the artist on October 14th.

It is unclear whether any of the three suspects are currently in custody.

Payne’s cellphone also underwent a “forensic extraction” and authorities were able to analyze calls, text messages, chats on messaging and social media apps, prosecutors wrote.

Authorities believe Payne received drugs from “others” at least four times during his stay at the hotel from Oct. 13 to 16, the statement said. CNN is attempting to reach the CasaSur Palermo Hotel for comment.

What we know so far about Liam Payne’s death

Investigators interviewed two female companions who were with Payne in the hours before his death, a source familiar with the case told CNN on Friday. The women, both 25, said they did not see Payne using drugs in their eyes, but he did consume alcohol, the person added.

He had spoken openly about his struggles with substance abuse and his mental health. In the summer of 2023, Payne said he was sober for six months after completing treatment at a US facility. Payne’s tour was scheduled to begin in South America in September of that year, but he had to postpone the planned dates after suffering from a kidney infection.

Payne rose to global fame as part of One Direction, the hugely popular boy band formed on the 2010 British version of X Factor. The group, which included members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik, announced an “indefinite hiatus” in 2016.