Singer Liam Payne’s body is hoped to be flown home this week “back where he belongs” with his family - with his devoted dad refusing to leave his side.
Officials in Buenos Aires, where the tragic One Direction star died after falling from his hotel balcony, have yet to release the singer until final pathology tests have been completed. But authorities expect the results to be finalised this week and have yet to rule out the possibility that they could be available imminently.
A source said: “Liam’s loved ones just want him home, back where he belongs among his family. As they await the pathologist to finish their tests, behind the scenes, they have been tackling the logistics about how best to get his body back to the UK. There are no direct commercial flights between Buenos Aires and London, but naturally, they want the flight to have the least stops and interruptions possible. But Geoff is determined to accompany his son home.”
One consideration is to charter a private jet, although very few have the range capable of flying the 6,915-mile journey on one tank of fuel. Details about his repatriation to the UK came as thousands of fans from around the world gathered to pay tribute to the star. Fans, or ‘Directioners’ as they are called, came together in London, New York, Paris, Stockholm and Colombia to mark his tragic passing.
As they marked his death, they brought flowers, messages of support, and songs from the boy band. Fans gathered in London at the Peter Pan statue in Hyde Park and the Tuileries Garden in Paris. Ellie Markham, 23, travelled to Hyde Park from her home in Brighton. She said: “I just wanted to be here to pay my respects and let Liam’s family know all Directioners are thinking of them. He will forever be in our hearts.”
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AFP via Getty Images)Liam died after falling from the balcony of his third floor suite at the CasaSur Hotel in Palmero, Buenos Aires. Before he tumbled to his death last Wednesday, he was seen acting erratically in the lobby by fellow guests. After his fall, police found the prescription drug clonazepam, energy supplements and other over-the-counter medications scattered throughout the suite, along with “various items broken.”
A whiskey bottle, lighter and mobile phone were later recovered from the hotel’s internal courtyard, where Liam’s body was discovered. Photos from inside his room showed what appears to be extensive drug paraphernalia and a smashed television.
Liam, who had travelled to the country to see his bandmate Niall Horan in concert, was reportedly forced to extend his trip to Argentina after his visa application to stay in the US was initially refused. According to a close friend, it was because Liam admitted he had previously used drugs and alcohol on his application to renew his ‘extraordinary achievement’ visa.
It resulted in US Embassy officials ordering him to take a drug test to prove he was clean. A source told the Mirror : “Knowing he needed to pass the test, Liam kept away from everything. He didn’t touch a thing and was clean when he presented himself for testing.”
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AFP via Getty Images)The visa was eventually cleared, and he was due to have his passport stamped with the visa last Friday – two days after he died. On Sunday, more details emerged about Liam’s final hours laying bare, painting a heart-wrenching portrait of the former One Direction star’s last day.
Just hours before he fell from the balcony, the singer’s decision to contact two women through an Argentine website has raised questions about the personal struggles he was facing in the days leading up to his fall. Gemidos is well-known in Argentina. It is an escort site where hundreds of women across the country offer their services with photos and detailed descriptions.
After browsing their profiles on Gemidos, he messaged Lucile Goitea, 27, from Isidro Casanova, and Aldana Serrano, 30, from Los Troncos, in El Talar, on WhatsApp. Accounts differ on the amount he promised them for their company, with some suggesting as much as £3,500 and others claiming it was only a few hundred.
Regardless of the sum, the decision to meet with the two women seems to highlight the troubled mental state he may have been in. On Wednesday, around 11am, they arrived at the CasaSur hotel, known for its discreet luxury, where many high-profile figures can escape the public’s prying eyes.
Upon arrival, both women were required to submit their identification at the front desk. Though they had never met each other before, Lucile and Aldana were escorted up to Liam’s 310 room. When the former One Direction star opened the door, he appeared calm, greeting them with a smile.
Inside the room, the atmosphere was reportedly relaxed. The singer, 31, offered the women alcohol - champagne for them and a bottle of scotch for himself. According to their testimonies to police, no drugs were consumed. The room was scattered with half-drunk glasses, evidence of the brief companionship the three shared.
However, it wasn’t long before things began to take a turn. When the women were ready to leave, a dispute arose over payment. Liam had yet to give them the money they had agreed upon, and the women were becoming increasingly frustrated. They waited in the hotel lobby, attempting to resolve the issue, but he did not respond to calls from the reception.
Tensions escalated, and the women eventually left the hotel, fed up and unpaid. What happened next remains unclear. Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud crash, followed by the sound of shattered glass. According to forensic reports, he did not attempt to break his fall, suffering multiple traumatic injuries, including severe head trauma. Police responded quickly, arriving on the scene shortly after the incident.
The names of Lucile and Aldana were retrieved from the hotel’s records, and Prosecutor Marcelo Roma, who is leading the investigation, ordered the two women to be found and questioned. They were located and brought in for questioning at the 16th Prosecutor’s Office.
In their statements, both women denied any involvement in Liam’s death, stating that they had spent a short amount of time with him, drank alcohol, and left when the issue of payment arose. Neither woman admitted to having had sex with him, skirting around the subject during questioning. Despite their evasiveness, Prosecutor Roma believes their accounts and does not consider them suspects.
Here in Argentina, prostitution is criminalised, but sex workers are often viewed as victims rather than perpetrators, with law enforcement focusing on the traffickers as the actual criminals. Neither Lucile nor Aldana has a criminal record, and while their lives have been affected by Liam’s death, they remain on the periphery of the investigation.
* If you, or someone you know, have been affected by any issues raised in this article, support and information is available from the Samaritans by calling 116 123.
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