Argentinian cops are on the hunt for Liam Payne's Rolex watch which mysteriously vanished following his tragic death. The expensive designer timepiece was nowhere to be found during last week's house raids of three blokes now suspects in an ongoing criminal probe.
Top Argentinian paper La Nacion has reported that digs into the pads of two women who spent time with Liam hours before his deadly tumble from a third-floor balcony at his Buenos Aires hotel fetched zilch – though they're only witnesses, not accused of any wrongdoing. Rumours are swirling that La Nacion has hinted at another rummage through the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, particularly Liam's swanky suite, within the "next 72 hours".
The theory is the Rolex might have been nicked and overlooked during the initial once-over. CCTV snaps and other shots snagged up in the prosecutor's files appear to show Liam sporting the swish watch just before his demise at roughly 5pm on October 16.
READ MORE: Major Liam Payne death update as 'three people arrested' following raids
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A judicial beak whispered to La Nacion: "We know from images that have been analysed that Liam had the watch on the day of his death. He had it in one of his hands and he had it at least two to three hours before his fatal hotel fall. We looked for it in his hotel room and couldn't find it."
"The watch was searched for in the homes of the three people being investigated on suspicion of abandoning Liam and the supply and facilitation of drugs, as well as in the homes of the two female escorts who were with him in his room the afternoon he died. The room is still sealed off by court order and no-one can enter.", reports the Mirror.
"Searching for the watch in the homes of the people Liam had contact with before his death was the initial priority but now another inspection will take place to see if it remains somewhere in his room."
Liam's close friend Rogelio 'Roger' Nores defended himself vehemently against any wrongdoing after being implicated recently as one of the three under scrutiny.
Regarding the allegations linking him to the drug supply and negligence leading up to Liam's demise, businessman Mr Nores, who has been wrongly labelled as the deceased singer’s manager, stated: "I never abandoned Liam, I went to his hotel three times that day and left 40 minutes before this happened."
He continued to refute claims and clear his name, saying: "There were over 15 people at the hotel lobby chatting and joking with him when I left. I could have never imagined something like this would happen. I've given my statement to the prosecutor on October 17 as a witness and I haven't spoken to any police officer or prosecutor ever since. I wasn't Liam's manager. He was just my very dear friend."
Nores expressed his profound loss, concluding with an outpouring of grief: "I'm really heart-broken with this tragedy, and I've been missing my friend every day."
Prosecutors have launched a formal investigation into three men, who remain unnamed, on suspicion of abandoning a person leading to death and supplying and facilitating drugs, according to a statement released last Thursday. One of these individuals is described as someone who "routinely accompanied Liam during his stay in Buenos Aires."
Tests revealed that the 31-year-old had consumed large amounts of alcohol and cocaine prior to his death, with traces of an antidepressant also found in his system.
The prosecutors have dismissed the possibility of suicide, stating that Liam was in a state of "semi or total unconsciousness" and "didn't know what he was doing" when he fell to his death. They further stated: "The second suspect is a hotel employee who must respond for two proven supplies of cocaine to Liam Payne during the time he was in the hotel. The third is also a drug dealer who is being investigated on suspicion of another two clearly proven supplies of cocaine at two different times on October 14."
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