1 month ago
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Liam Payne‘s father is dealing with a long, heartbreaking delay in Argentina.
As Perezcious readers know, Geoff Payne went to Buenos Aires where his son died last week to identify his body and arrange its return to the singer’s home country. However, he is still there now. And he could be there for a while as the investigation into the 31-year-old’s passing continues.
Related: Liam Payne Left HOW MUCH $$$ For His Son Bear?!
On Tuesday, Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 released a press statement sharing that Liam’s dad had met with officials on Monday and was briefed on the case. The release noted that Geoff had met with Andrés Esteban Madrea, the head of the office, to learn about “the progress of the investigation.” Geoff said he’d be willing to share any information to help the case, too, as the statement revealed:
“For his part, the musician’s father expressed his desire for an investigation and for the events to be known and stated to the prosecutor his willingness to testify about everything he knows about his son’s life that could help the investigation.”
As for the wait, Geoff was informed that Liam’s body could not leave the South American country until all necessary “toxicological and histopathological studies” are completed. According to Marca, local authorities have said it could take up to 10 days for that to be done. In the meantime, the Prosecutor’s Office has given Geoff a police detail considering the high-profile nature of the death and “given his state of logical shock.”
The investigation so far includes a review into Liam’s cell phone and computer as well as looking through photos and videos from security cameras, which will all require more time to analyze. Officials are also still interviewing witnesses — from hotel workers to acquaintances, technical and medical professionals, and those the pop star knew through work — to reconstruct his final hours. In the meantime, the grieving father has asked for full transparency. And out of respect for the A-lister, “everything that arises in the context of the investigation will first be reported to the family, and given the high public exposure of the musician, communication will be limited to the institutional channels of the MPF [Public Prosecutor’s Office].”
Local authorities are also keeping the UK government in the loop because Liam was a British citizen. British officials have even offered to help with the investigation.
While Geoff is helping with the investigation, this is no doubt a deeply difficult thing to deal with. But he is committed to waiting as long as it takes so he can return home with his child’s body. Per Marca, the extended wait time is reportedly one of the hardest parts of this tragedy for the family. Another family friend told DailyMail.com:
“Geoff has been told it might take ten days for the tests to be completed and for him to take Liam home. He is finding the whole situation really tough. Geoff is totally heartbroken at losing his son. But he has vowed to do right by Liam and will not go home without him. It is the uncertainty of not knowing when this ordeal will be over is what he is finding very difficult to deal with.”
We cannot even imagine…
Earlier this week, a partial autopsy revealed, via ABC News sources, that Liam had multiple drugs in his system at the time of his fatal fall. That list purportedly included cocaine, crack, benzodiazepine, and “pink cocaine,” which is a combination of methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and others.
Liam had been acting erratically before jumping from his hotel room’s balcony, though it is not clear whether the fall was accidental. Authorities believe he may not have been fully conscious as he fell. He had openly struggled with addiction and mental health, but was reportedly doing better until his girlfriend left the country just days before his passing. So, so sad.
If you or someone you know is experiencing substance abuse, help is available. Consider checking out the resources SAMHSA provides at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline or check out StartYourRecovery.org
[Image via Alan West/WENN & One Direction/YouTube]
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