3 charged in death of Liam Payne: officials

(NEXSTAR) — Following an extensive investigation, authorities in Argentina say three people have been charged in connection with the October death of pop singer and former One Direction band member Liam Payne.

Payne, 31, fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on October 16.

Hotel staff at the Casa Sur Hotel in the chic Palermo neighborhood of Argentina’s capital where Payne was staying called the police with concerns about a guest who they say was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol.” Police rushed to the hotel and arrived just minutes before the fall.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Just over a week after his death, a police special investigations unit went to the hotel and seized items including computer hard drives and footage from hotel cameras, a government official told The Associated Press, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly.

Initial investigations suggested that Payne was alone and experiencing a “breakdown."

In a press release on Thursday, authorities in Argentina confirmed three people have been charged with abandonment of a person followed by death, as well as the supply and facilitation of narcotics.

Authorities have not yet named the suspects but said one accompanied Payne "on a daily basis during his stay." Another is a hotel employee "who must answer for two proven supplies of cocaine to Liam Payne" while the third is described as "a drug supplier" accused of "two other clearly proven supplies."

An Argentine official previously said Payne had cocaine in his system when he fell and died, according to an initial toxicology report. Thursday's press release noted alcohol and a prescription antidepressant were also detected in his system.

Authorities also said it appears Payne may have "fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness."

"Although other medical background information from the victim's clinical history must still be analyzed, the phenomenon of the lack of defense or self-preservation reflex in the fall, together with other relevant data from his consumption, allow us to conclude that Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall," the press release read.

While he was determined to be alone in his room at the time of his fall, authorities did say that they took statements from three hotel employees and two women who had visited Payne in his hotel room hours before his fall.

Buenos Aires police said they found Payne’s hotel room “in complete disarray.” They saw “various items broken” and recovered packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, energy supplements and other over-the-counter drugs strewn among his belongings.

Forensics teams also reported that authorities recovered a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone from the internal courtyard where Payne’s body was found. In recent years, Payne had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism, saying in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.

Payne's body was delivered to his father over the weekend, authorities said. No additional details were available on Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.