Three people have been charged in connection with the death of singer Liam Payne last month.
The 31-year-old former One Direction star died after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina on October 16.
Three have been arrested and charged with “abandonment of a person followed by death, supply and facilitation of narcotics.”
It’s believed one of the trio “accompanied the artist on a daily basis” during his stay in Argentina.
One hotel employee has also been accused of supplying the former boyband star with cocaine twice, while a third has been accused of supplying drugs.
Reports state a prosecutor’s office has confirmed the news following the tragedy, which shook the entertainment sphere and worldwide fans last month.
Payne fell from a third-floor balcony at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires.
A statement by the office of prosecutor Andres Esteban Madrea has today said: “Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall”.
Part of the lengthy statement continued: “Unlawful conduct was discovered, as a result of which three people were charged with the crimes of abandonment of a person followed by death, supply and facilitation of narcotics.
“From the beginning of the investigation and within a few days, exhaustive and meticulous actions and measures were carried out to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death of the artist.
“In this sense, several dozen statements were received at the headquarters of the Public Prosecutor’s Office including the testimonies of hotel staff, family and friends and medical professionals.
“A detailed analysis of more than 800 hours of video footage from various security cameras in the hotel and others in the street was also carried out, with staff from the prosecutor’s office and specialised analysts from the Superintendence of Special Investigations and the Technological Support Division of the City Police, made available from the outset by the Deputy Chief of the City Police, Jorge Guillermo Azzolina.”
It went on: “Likewise, the forensic extraction of the contents of the deceased musician’s mobile phone was carried out.
“From this, his calls, messages, chats on messaging applications and social networks were analysed. The registry of guests and the hotel’s bar/restaurant orders were also examined to find out who visited the musician and his drinking and eating habits.
“Also, with the help of expert personnel from the Superintendence of the Fight against Cybercrime of the City Police, headed by Commissioner General Carlos Gabriel Rojas, several gigabytes of data were obtained and examined in a short period of time from the extraction of data from other mobile phones such as the one at the hotel reception and those of witnesses who volunteered to corroborate their statements.
“After the autopsy, all the necessary thanatological and laboratory studies were carried out and completed, and the complete relevant samples were ordered to be kept in reserve for any future comparison, according to the protocols, indications and reports of the Forensic Medical Corps.
“After this, and with the favourable opinion of the Prosecutor’s Office, the Criminal and Correctional Court N°34, led by Judge Laura Graciela Bruniard, authorised the delivery of the body to the father of the deceased, Geoff Payne, which took place last weekend.
“The musician’s father was informed in person. As a result of the evidence gathered and after analysing the various bodies of evidence and numerous documentary annexes and the background of the case, the prosecutor Andrea Madrea formally charged three people, requesting their indictment and detention in a 180-page report presented last Friday before Judge Bruniard.”
Last month, emergency services were called to the hotel on the day Payne fell, with reports of a “guest who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol”.
It has previously been reported that a cocktail of drugs including designer narcotic pink cocaine containing MDMA, ketamine, and methamphetamine had been found in his system during a partial autopsy along with crack cocaine and benzodiazepine.
It was reported this week that the singer’s funeral is expected to take place in his hometown of Wolverhampton in the coming days.
Payne’s body was released to his grieving family over the weekend and was repatriated to England on Monday, November 4.sources close to the family have claimed there are ongoing plans for a “lavish service of remembrance” at a large cathedral, though the exact location remains undisclosed, but expected to be in Wolverhampton.