An initial toxicology report following Liam Payne’s death after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires has shown that the ex-One Direction singer had cocaine in his system, an Argentine official said.
The final toxicology results are not expected to be made public for some weeks. But the preliminary toxicology report of the famous boy band star, handed to local prosecutors on Monday, suggested evidence of exposure to cocaine, the official said.
The official stressed these initial results do not offer an accurate reading of just how much was circulating in his blood when he died.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief journalists. The preliminary report was widely reported in local media on Monday.
Argentina’s public prosecution is investigating the case - which is not uncommon when a death is sudden or unexpected.
Payne’s autopsy concluded that the traumatic injuries that caused his death were consistent with his three-storey fall from the hotel window. Prosecutors have ruled out anyone else being involved.
Argentine investigators found what appeared to be narcotics and alcohol strewn among broken objects and furniture in 31-year-old Payne’s hotel room, leading the public prosecution to surmise the singer had suffered a substance abuse-induced breakdown around the time of his fall.
Photos purportedly taken from inside Payne’s hotel room published by local media showed snowlike powder left on a table and a smashed-in TV screen. Police also discovered a blister pack of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, and over-the-counter medications scattered among Payne’s belongings.
Shortly before Payne’s death on October 16, the hotel manager called 911 to report a guest acting aggressively and under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Investigators are also trying to figure out who sold Payne the drugs he took at the CasaSur Hotel in Palermo, a chic neighbourhood of the Argentine capital. Police have taken statements from at least three hotel employees, as well as two women who visited Payne’s hotel room a few hours before his death.
Fans and major pop industry figures around the world have reacted with an outpouring of grief.
The late singer’s father, Geoff Payne, was still in Buenos Aires meeting with the prosecutors and other local officials on Monday in an effort to organise the repatriation of the remains.
Argentine authorities expect to release the body next week, clearing the way for Mr Payne to fly home and hold a funeral back in England.
