Officials investigating the death of Liam Payne in Argentina said Tuesday they are trying to reconstruct the former “One Direction” star’s “final hours” as experts scour cell phones, computers, photographs and videos from security cameras.
Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, has been updated about the investigation by the head of Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office, according to a news release. Geoff Payne has been in Argentina since the weekend, when he visited the hotel where Payne fell to his death.
The prosecutor’s office told Geoff Payne that toxicology reports are still pending. Another study to see if Payne was ill at the time of his death is also being conducted. Those tests, done as part of Payne’s autopsy, must be completed before the singer’s body can be released, officials said.
The investigation into the hours before Payne’s death remains ongoing, the prosecutor’s office said. CBS News previously reported that police were dispatched to Payne’s hotel in response to an emergency call about an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol” who had “thrown himself from the balcony of his room.” Officials have not confirmed if Payne intentionally jumped or fell by accident. Investigators have said his room was a mess, with what appeared to be narcotics and alcohol among broken objects and furniture.
Liam Payne via Snapchat/via REUTERS
ABC News and TMZ, citing anonymous sources familiar with the preliminary tests, reported a cocktail of drugs called “pink cocaine” — which contains methamphetamine and ketamine — had been found during a partial autopsy, but officials have not released any results from preliminary tests.
The prosecutor’s office said it is conducting analysis on electronic devices from the scene, and that “numerous statements” have been taken from hotel workers, medical professionals, and others to “reconstruct the victim’s final hours.”
The prosecutor’s office noted in the press release that any information about Payne’s death will only be released through its official channels.
