Liam Payne succumbed to fall injuries after tumbling from a third-story balcony (Image: Getty Images)
In a harrowing turn of events, a drugs syndicate has been implicated in the heart-wrenching death of former One Direction sensation Liam Payne, as three individuals now face charges over the incident.
Tragic at just 31 years old, Liam Payne succumbed to fall injuries after tumbling from a third-story balcony at CasaSur Palermo Hotel, Buenos Aires, last month. His remains were repatriated for a solemn UK funeral expected imminently, to be observed in private by family and friends.
The death of Payne sent ripples of shock throughout the world, exacerbated by distressing photographs circulating online that suggest the presence of drug-related items in his hotel room.
Current reports indicate that charges have been pressed against three people, with one accused specifically of "abandonment of a person followed by death".
Argentinian officials persist with their probing into this grim affair while Payne's global fanbase grapples with sorrow over the untimely loss of the pop icon. Detailed below are the facts concerning the narcotics network and the 'abandonment' charge connected to Liam Payne's tragic end.
The question lingers: when, where, and how did Liam Payne's life meet its end?, reports the Mirror.
Liam died last month aged 31 (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The ill-fated event found Liam Payne plummeting from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel's balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the fateful day of Wednesday, 16 October. The city's emergency services chief, Alberto Crescenti, verified the star's death, highlighting the futile race against time by paramedics due to the extensive nature of his injuries.
The tragic demise of the celebrity was attributed to "internal and external" hemorrhages along with multiple traumatic injuries, authorities revealed, whilst calling for a toxicology analysis to ascertain whether drugs were present in his system at the fatal moment. They also noted that he failed to assume a "reflex posture" during the fall - a detail which led to the unexpected early autopsy finding suggesting he "may have fallen in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness."
On Friday 8 November, investigations officially discounted the possibility of suicide in Liam's death, with Argentinian prosecutors concluding the star "did not know what he was doing and could not understand it" due to "the state he was in" prior to his untimely passing.
What is the VIP drugs ring connected to Liam Payne's death?
Post-mortem speculations pointed to a high-profile drug dealer tied to celebrities as potentially instrumental in Liam's fate, according to South American news outlet Merco Press. Further whispers hint at hotel personnel's suspect engagement in a narcotics transaction.
An informant confided to the DailyMail back in October: "There were two guys at the hotel that were giving Liam drugs. They sent taxis out to collect packages for him. One of the guys was working in the cleaning department. After Liam died, they noticed that one taxi was sent to the cleaner's home address."
According to the source, "The cleaner and another member of staff have been interviewed by the police."
It has been reported that at least one hotel employee has been arrested and charged in connection with Liam's death.
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Who was charged with 'abandonment of a person followed by death' in the Liam Payne case?
On Friday, 8 November, Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office announced that three individuals had been arrested and charged in connection with Liam Payne's death. Prosecutors stated that one individual, who remains unnamed but was accompanying Liam, was accused of "the abandonment of a person followed by death".
An unnamed hotel employee and a third unnamed individual were charged with supplying drugs. Argentine police are also investigating a broken laptop and other devices seized from the late singer.
As reported by the BBC, "The prosecutor's office added it has examined more than 800 hours of video footage from security cameras in the hotel and on public roads, and received dozens of testimonies."