Three people charged in connection with Liam Payne's death in Argentina | Liam Payne

Three people have been charged with supply of narcotics and abandonment of a person resulting in death in connection with the death of Liam Payne in Argentina.

Toxicology tests revealed that Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine, a prescription drug and antidepressants in his system at the time of his death, prosecutors said in a statement Thursday.

The former One Direction star fell to his death from a third-floor hotel balcony in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires on October 16.

Guests at the time said they heard banging and slamming doors throughout the afternoon before a loud scream was heard. Staff had called emergency services to report a guest who was “overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol” and was “destroying” a room. The 31-year-old's body was found in the courtyard of Casa Sur late in the afternoon.

Police pronounced Payne dead at the scene and said he suffered a “very serious injury” to the base of his skull. The Forensic Medical Corps later concluded that Payne's death was caused by “multiple trauma” and “internal and external bleeding” resulting from the fall.

One of the three defendants reportedly visited Payne regularly during his two-week stay in the city. They are accused of abandoning and then killing a person – the penalty is between five and 15 years in prison – and aiding and abetting drug trafficking.

The second person, a hotel employee, “must answer for two proven cocaine deliveries,” the public prosecutor’s office said. The third person is also accused of delivering narcotics on October 14th.

Prosecutors said officers collected several dozen witness statements and conducted nine raids on homes across Buenos Aires province, seizing several personal devices. In addition, more than 800 hours of video material were analyzed.

In their statement, prosecutors also ruled out suicide, saying: “The lack of defensive or self-preservation reflexes during the fall, as well as other relevant data from his consumption, suggest that Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was suffering from the influence of alcohol.” a state of noticeable unconsciousness or unconsciousness at the time of the fall.”

“Physical intervention by third parties” was also ruled out as a possibility.

Payne, who was born in Wolverhampton, England, became part of One Direction after appearing on the British reality show The X Factor as a teenager. The group, which was one of the biggest boy bands of all time, sold more than 70 million records worldwide before going on an indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Payne had previously spoken out about his mental health struggles, saying that at the height of the band's fame he began taking alcohol and an epilepsy medication as a mood stabilizer to counteract the “irregular highs and lows” he was experiencing.

Payne's father Geoff traveled to Buenos Aires after his son's death, met fans and visited the British cemetery where his son's remains were kept. Earlier this week, Payne's body was repatriated to the UK.