The hotel manager who alerted emergency services before Liam Payne tragically fell to his death has revealed that the One Direction star’s ‘ex-partner’ was also staying at the same location.
Liam, 31, died on October 16 after a fall from a third floor balcony at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Now, in an interview with an Argentinian TV show, Esteban Grassi stated: “He was seen alone but his ex-partner was around.”
When questioned on El Trece programme Telenoche: “So she was staying at the hotel too” he responded ‘Yes’ and further confirmed: “A floor above, yes’ when asked if she was above the third-floor suite Liam was in.
An excerpt of the programme showcasing a section of the interview has surfaced online and was further highlighted by additional Argentinian media. The precise subject of Mr Grassi’s allegation remains unspecified. It’s believed he was one of three hotel employees whom the authorities acknowledged for questioning.
Liam’s partner, influencer Kate Cassidy, left Buenos Aires for the US shortly before Liam’s tragic demise, having spent time with him in the city. Prior to Liam’s heartbreaking fall from his third-floor balcony at CasaSur Palermo Hotel on the previous Wednesday, she expressed on a TikTok video: “I was ready to go back… Honestly, I love South America, but I hate being in one place for too long. We were supposed to stay for five days, but it turned into two weeks and I needed to get home.”
Mr Grassi urgently dialed 911—equivalent to the UK’s 999—on that fateful Wednesday afternoon, stating: “We have a guest who’s off his head on drugs and is destroying everything in his room. We need someone to come.”
In a follow-up call, he stressed: “We need you to send someone urgently because, well, I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. They must be in a room that has a balcony. And well, we’re a little bit worried he’ll do something, that he’ll put his life at risk.”
An audio clip of these two calls has been released by Argentinian press. Yesterday, officers descended upon the boutique hotel where Liam died, seen scrutinising documentation and evaluating computers in the entrance area. Their action is ongoing.
Prosecutor Andres Madrea, who met with Liam’s father Geoff on Tuesday, briefed him on the ongoing probe into the calamity. Efforts are being made to identify the individual who sold the drugs believed to have been consumed by the ex-One Direction member before his fatal fall.
Last week, prosecutors released a statement suggesting that Liam was “in a state of semi or total unconsciousness” due to a substance-induced ‘psychotic episode’ at the time of his descent. He succumbed to multiple trauma injuries resulting in “internal and external haemorrhaging”.
It is thought that among his 25 ‘life-threatening’ injuries was a skull fracture. While investigators have implied no suspicion of “third-party” involvement, they are actively searching for the drug dealer, amid rumours that someone from his hotel might have been supplying him with illegal substances.
Argentine news outlet Infobae earlier reported that forensic experts found cocaine traces in Liam’s body, although tests on the white powder remain “inconclusive”. Unverified claims from the US suggest that a mix of drugs, including designer narcotic pink cocaine with components like MDMA, ketamine, methamphetamine, as well as crack cocaine and benzodiazepine, were detected in his system during a preliminary autopsy.
The hotel search was conducted by the Buenos Aires City Police, involving both a Special Investigations’ Division and a Technology Investigations Unit, with a significant focus on the reception area.
However, it’s believed that officers also visited the third-floor suite where Liam was staying. Geoff Payne, who travelled to Argentina following his son’s death, is anticipated to stay in Buenos Aires until he receives approval to return to the UK with his son’s body.
He was informed during his meeting with Mr Madrea that this will not occur until toxicology and tissue tests are finalised.
Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here.