Preliminary results of tests carried out on the body of late British pop star Liam Payne have revealed the presence of cocaine, two media outlets reported Monday.
Payne, who found fame with global chart-toppers One Direction, tragically died at the Hotel CasaSur in Buenos Aires last Wednesday after falling from a third-floor balcony.
Prosecutors believe that the singer was under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time and may have plunged from the balcony in a state of “semi or total unconsciousness.”
Marcelo Roma, the prosecutor leading the investigation into Payne’s death, revealed the preliminary results of expert tests on Monday. Forensic analysis determined the presence of cocaine in the body, reported the Noticias Argentinas news agency.
Tests on a white powder also believed to be cocaine, found in Payne's hotel room, were inconclusive and the substance will be subjected to further testing, added a second report by the Infobae website.
Prosecutors are investigating who provided Payne with the drugs he used at the hotel in the Palmero neighbourhood of the capital. Buenos Aires City Police officers have questioned at least three hotel employees, including a cleaner.
Two women who were with the late singer in the hours before his death, but who left the hotel prior to the tragedy, have also testified. They told prosecutors that they saw Payne drink alcohol but did not see him take drugs.
Liam’s father, Geoff Payne, is currently in Argentina overseeing the repatriation of the body. Last Friday, he visited the City morgue to view the body.
He later made an emotional visit to the hotel where his son died, visiting the makeshift shrine erected by fans outside the establishment and thanking fans for their support.
The mourning father intends to return to the United Kingdom with his son’s body for the funeral.
Reports over the weekend in local media suggested that it could take as long as 10 and 15 days for the body’s release to be authorised as prosecutors await the full results of toxicological tests.
In comments seen by the Times, Prosecutor Roma said over the weekend that the body could be released later this week.
‘Semi- or total unconsciousness’
Autopsy results published last Friday said the musician’s death was likely caused by a mental health “episode” connected to drug use.
“It is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and may have collapsed in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness,” the autopsy report said.
Prosecutor Roma has said that Payne was alone when the fall occurred and has ruled out foul play.
Witnesses at the hotel claim they saw the singer acting “aggressively” in the time leading up to his death and allege that he was under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
According to the autopsy, Payne died from “multiple traumas” suffered in the approximately 10-metre fall, which caused “internal and external bleeding.”
Local emergency services said that the late singer suffered “extremely serious” injuries in the fall and that there was no chance of saving his life.
Outlets published photos which they said showed the interior of his hotel room, with white powder on a table next to a piece of aluminium foil and a lighter, and a television with a broken screen.
In addition, police experts found a telephone, a notebook, a blister pack of clonazepam and energy pills in the room.
UK reporting
Reporting the UK media, citing unnamed close friends of the artist, claim that Payne was supplied by drugs by a cleaner and another individual.
“There were two men in the hotel giving drugs to Liam,” one of Payne’s close friends told British newspaper The Daily Mail. “They sent taxis to find packages for him. One of the men was working in the cleaning department.”
Hotel staff “realised that a taxi was sent to the cleaning employee’s house . The hotel manager asked why the taxi had gone to his house and when he couldn’t provide an explanation he was dismissed.”
The friend says the star was “clean” but that had been offered alcohol and drugs while in Buenos Aires.
Another unnamed friend of the singer told UK newspaper The Sun that the musician had extended his trip in Argentina due to visa issues.
Liam had arrived in the country on September 30 in order to renew his US visa, the friend claimed, but needed to provide medical results showing that he was sober in order for his documentation to be approved.
“He picked up his results on Tuesday and they showed he was clean. At the weekend during his stay at his friend’s ranch, he was completely sober,” the unnamed friend told The Sun. “When he checked into the hotel, at some point somebody there started supplying him with drugs.”
Movements
While in Argentina, Payne attended a concert of his former bandmate Niall Horan at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires on October 2.
He travelled to Argentina with his girlfriend, US influencer Kate Cassidy. The couple initially stayed at a luxury Airbnb property in the capital, but they were forced to move out when Payne’s visa application was delayed and their reservation expired.
On October 12, the singer checked into the Hotel CasaSur boutique hotel, while Cassidy returned to Miami.
During his stay in Argentina, the musician spent time with friends staying at a house in the countryside. Liam’s group included local businessman Rogelio ‘Roger’ Nores, who was seen with him at the hotel on the day of his death.
– TIMES/PERFIL/NA
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