3 people charged in Liam Payne's death, including hotel worker: prosecutor

Three people have been arrested and charged in Argentina in connection with the death of Liam Payne on October 16, authorities said.

The suspects are accused of abandonment of a person resulting in death, as well as the provision and distribution of narcotics, the Argentine Prosecutor's Office for Penal and Correctional Institutions said in a press release on Thursday, November 7. Authorities did not release the names of the suspects.

The One Direction star died after falling from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.

According to the press release, “Payne was not fully conscious or was in a state of noticeable unconsciousness or unconsciousness at the time of the fall.”

After Payne fell from the balcony and died, “unlawful conduct was uncovered, resulting in three individuals being charged with the crimes,” the release said.

Authorities conducted nine raids this week, the release said.

One of the suspects “is the person who accompanied the artist daily during his stay in the city of Buenos Aires.” A second suspect is a hotel employee accused of supplying Payne with cocaine, and a third is a suspected “drug supplier.” .

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According to the press release, prosecutors have attempted to “reconstruct the days that Payne stayed at the Hotel 'Casa Sur' on Costa Rica Street” in Buenos Aires between October 13 and 16.

Prosecutors said in the news release that “self-harm of any kind and/or physical interference by third parties” have been ruled out as factors in his death.

The November 7 press release from Argentine authorities said Payne had “multiple drug ingestions of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system” in the moments before his death and in the previous 72 hours.

This is a developing story.