While Geoff Payne, Liam’s distraught father, spent over four hours at the prosecutor’s office, his bodyguard, Paul Higgins, accompanied the police to the Hotel CasaSur Palermo to review security footage.
Higgins was also seen interviewing several hotel employees in an attempt to identify the person who allegedly supplied Liam Payne with narcotics, as widely reported in the media.
On Wednesday, October 16, Liam’s fans were left devastated when he fell from the third floor of his hotel suite in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the age of 31. According to Argentine media reports, forensic experts discovered traces of cocaine in the star’s body.
The news portal Infobae reported that materials extracted from the singer’s body during an autopsy following his death had “determined the presence of the class-A drug”.
Police have been reviewing newly collected hotel CCTV footage to determine whether the singer received a drug delivery while staying at the hotel. Officers have also begun examining the One Direction singer’s mobile phone to determine who he was in contact with in the hours leading up to his fall from the balcony of his room in Buenos Aires.
This development comes as officials from the public prosecutor’s office met with Liam’s father, Geoff, who is in Argentina. Andrés Esteban Madrea informed him that toxicology and histopathological exams have not yet been completed, but once the results are received, the 31-year-old’s body can be released to his family, reports the Mirror.
A source informed the Mirror: “It is a painstaking investigation. As the eyes of the world are still wanting to know about Liam’s death, Madrea knows everything from CCTV and phone records to Liam’s post-mortem must be done with precision.
“He has told his staff no stone must be left unturned and that the investigation will be led where the evidence takes them. He has personally vowed to Geoff that if criminality is found in any way, those responsible will face the full force of the law.”
Initial toxicology reports detected cocaine in Liam’s system at the time of death. The preliminary exam delivered to local authorities indicated the presence of the substance, but officials emphasised it fails to accurately reveal how much was in the bloodstream when he passed away.
Police uncovered suspected drugs and alcohol amid damaged and burned items in the artist’s hotel room after his fatal fall, suggesting a potential substance-induced collapse. According to prosecutors, Liam might have been in a state of partial or complete unconsciousness during the incident.
The father-of-one sustained “extremely serious injuries” as he plummeted into the courtyard of the CasaSur Hotel in Buenos Aires’ stylish Palmero area last Wednesday.
Shortly before the tragedy, a 911 call was placed by the hotel’s desk manager who reported that “a guest drunk with drugs and alcohol” was “breaking everything in the room”. In a devastating turn of events, moments later Liam was discovered on the restaurant floor of the hotel, having plummeted 45ft from his third-floor balcony.
Following the heart-wrenching news of his untimely passing, the world has been quick to honour Liam. The surviving members of One Direction came together to release a heartfelt joint statement on Thursday evening, while Louis Tomlinson offered a poignant pledge to Liam’s seven year old son, Bear, in a separate homage.
Niall Horan reflected on their profound bond by recounting their last embrace in Argentina, which he shared publicly on Friday morning.
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here.