Argentine prosecutors announced in a statement Thursday that three people have been charged in connection with the death of singer Liam Payne.
A prosecutor’s statement said that during the investigation into Payne’s death, “illegal conduct was uncovered and three people were charged with desertion, supplying and assisting drugs”.
On October 16, the former One Direction member fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
The statement from Andres Madrea, who was with Payne every day while he was in Buenos Aires, is accused of abandoning someone after death.
One hotel employee is accused of providing cocaine to Payne twice during his stay at the hotel, and a third person is accused of providing drugs to Payne twice during his stay on Oct. 14, the statement said.
Madrea said they were both charged with supplying drugs, with two counts each.
Toxicology reports showed Payne had alcohol, cocaine and prescription antidepressants in his system in the last 72 hours before his death, according to the prosecutor’s office. The prosecutor’s statement did not mention “pink cocaine,” which ABC News quoted sources as saying Payne had “pink cocaine” in his system when he died.
Payne reportedly had a recreational drug, typically consisting of ecstasy, ketamine and methamphetamine, in his system at the time of his death. Officials said there was very little cocaine in the drug and the pink color came from food coloring.
The prosecutor’s office said the cause of his death was “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding” caused by falling from a third-floor hotel balcony.
The medical examiner who conducted the autopsy told prosecutors that his injuries were consistent with a fall from such a height and ruled out self-inflicted injuries or interference from others. They added that since Payne “did not assume a reflex position” to protect himself when he fell, “it can be inferred that he may have been in a semi- or completely comatose state”.
Throughout the investigation, “detailed and meticulous actions and measures were taken to clarify the circumstances of the artist’s death,” the statement said. Prosecutors heard “dozens” of testimonies from hotel staff, family members, friends, medical professionals, biochemists and psychiatrists.
Prosecutors also analyzed more than 800 hours of security footage from hotels and public roads and reviewed the contents of Payne’s cell phone.
Also following the investigation, Payne’s body was released to his father, Jeff Payne, last weekend.
Payne, who rose to fame as a member of boy band One Direction, reportedly displayed destructive behavior in the hours before his death.
The hotel where he was staying called 911 after he “overdrew drugs and alcohol” and “destroyed the entire room.”
“The guest was staying in a room with a balcony and we were a little concerned that he might do something life-threatening,” the caller said, according to audio obtained by Telemundo from local media.
Minutes after making the call, Payne was found dead.
