Argentinian Officials Charge 3 in British Musician Liam Payne’s Death

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne is surrounded by flowers and candles as fans gather outside the hotel where he was found dead after falling from a balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Oct. 17, 2024. Natacha Pisarenko/AP

Three people have been arrested and charged in Argentina in the death of British musician Liam Payne, who fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Oct. 16, according to a statement from the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14.

Prosecutor Andrés Esteban Madrea announced on Nov. 7 that the three are accused of “abandonment of a person followed by death” and the “supply and facilitation of narcotics.”

The charges were brought after “illicit conduct was discovered” during the investigation into the 31-year-old singer’s death, the prosecutor’s office stated in the translated statement.

The first suspect, a person who accompanied Payne during his stay in Buenos Aires, is charged with abandoning a person following death, the statement said.

The second is a hotel employee alleged to have supplied cocaine to Payne, and the third is accused of two counts of supplying narcotics to the singer on Oct. 14.

Payne, who was once a member of One Direction, was reportedly in Buenos Aires to attend former bandmate Niall Horan’s concert.

The investigation involved extensive measures, including collecting testimony from dozens of hotel staff, family members, friends, medical professionals, and others.

Authorities analyzed more than 800 hours of security camera footage and conducted forensic examinations of electronic devices, including Payne’s cell phone.

Toxicology tests revealed that Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his body during the 72 hours before his death.

The autopsy concluded that his death was caused by “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” resulting from the fall, the statement said.

Forensic experts noted that Payne did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself during the fall, suggesting he may have been in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.

The prosecutor’s office stated that this evidence indicates “Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall.”

Prosecutor Madrea’s office noted that the investigation is ongoing, with further analysis pending on additional electronic devices seized.

Payne rose to fame with the boy band One Direction after appearing on “The X Factor” in 2010. In previous interviews, he had spoken openly about his struggles with substance abuse and mental health issues.

The prosecutor’s office emphasized that communication about the case will be handled by the government agency “to make public the progress of the investigation and in response to journalistic requests due to the high public exposure of the musician, but always respecting the memory of the victim.”