A press release from the office of the National Criminal and Penal Prosecutor No. 14 in Argentina revealed the final results of the toxicological tests carried out after the death of Liam Payne. According to a translated copy of the reportin the 72 hours before the former One Direction singer and solo star died after falling from a three-story hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he had “alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants” in his system.
The report said the findings of the toxicology report have already been shared with Payne's family and that they found he had “only traces of multiple drug use” based on “complete urine, blood and vitreous toxicology tests, conducted in a very short period of time.”
Officials who performed the autopsy concluded that the 31-year-old star's death was caused by “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding,” the result of the musician's fall from the balcony of his third-floor room. of the hotel in the neighborhood of Palermo where he was staying”.
Three additional reports requested by prosecutors also confirmed that Payne's injuries were caused by a fall at the Casa Sur Palermo hotel from a height and that “self-inflicted injury of any kind and/or physical interference by third parties has been ruled out. ” In addition, authorities said Payne did not adopt a “reflexive stance” to protect himself from the fall, leading to the conclusion that he “may have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.”
Specifically, “the lack of a defensive or self-preservation reflex in the fall, along with other relevant data from his consumption, allow us to conclude that Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was in a state of marked reduction or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall.” . The prosecution said that, as a result, they were able to rule out “the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act on the part of the victim, as, in the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing or could do. figure it out.”
A frantic 911 call made by staff shortly before Payne's death included a description of a visitor who was “overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol” and “wasting [their] the whole room.” By the time police arrived, Payne had already fallen and died at the scene from his injuries
Before the results were released, investigators reportedly found a number of illegal substances in Payne's body at the time of death, including a recreational drug called “pink cocaine”, a mixture of substances often containing ketamine combined with MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids and/or psychoactive substances.
Payne has been open in the past about his struggles with addiction. In May 2023, he celebrated 100 days of sobriety, saying at the time, “I feel really, really good, and the support from the fans and everything has been really, really good. Well, I'm very happy.” In 2021, Payne also discussed substance use issues on the podcast Diary of a CEO podcast, detailing a battle with depression and substances during the chaotic 1D years.
Police raided the hotel last month and reportedly seized a number of items, including computer hard drives and CCTV footage from hotel cameras.
In addition to news of the autopsy results, Thursday's press release revealed that three people have been arrested and charged in Argentina in connection with Payne's death following the “discovery of illegal conduct,” leading to a charge of abandonment of a person resulting in death. . , drug supply and facilitation'.
The three were described – but not named – as a person who “accompanyed the artist on a daily basis during his stay in the city of Buenos Aires,” who was charged with abandoning a person following death, which carries a possible penalty of 5 up to 15 years in prison. A second person is described as a hotel employee who “must answer for two proven supplies of cocaine to Liam Payne during his time at the hotel”, while a third, also a “drug supplier”, has also been charged with supplying drugs.
The investigation into Payne's death involved analyzing more than 800 hours of footage from security cameras at the hotel and on adjacent public roads, as well as forensically extracting and analyzing the contents of the singer's cellphone, including calls, messages, conversations. and social network data. Investigators also reviewed a record of Payne's orders at the hotel's bar/restaurant to determine who had visited and their food/drink “consumption habits.”
Police also extracted several gigabytes of data from cell phones belonging to the hotel receptionist and other witnesses who volunteered to corroborate their statements.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/liam-payne-final-autopsy-results-condition-before-death-unconscious-polydrug-use-1235823267/
