Liam Payne could have been under the influence of a drug known to cause psychotic attacks and hallucinations when he died, according to investigating police.
The singer plunged to his death from a third fall balcony at the CasaSur hotel on Wednesday night. The 31-year-old One Direction star was reported to have been acting 'erratically' in the hours before the tragedy.
Police in Buenos Aires have now claimed they are investigating a theory that Liam was high on a potent substance known as Cristal. The drug can cause extreme highs and extreme lows to users and make them aggressive.
Cops told TMZ that Liam's behaviour sounded consistent of Cristal users but they have not confirmed the drug was present in the room. The findings of test results on narcotics and medications recovered have yet to be recorded in full.
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Enterprise News and Pictures)Photos from inside Liam's hotel room saw traces of white powder, tin foil and a smashed television screen. Officials have not commented or provided any official information to support or rubbish the unconfirmed claims.
The initial autopsy, performed on Wednesday night, showed Liam had died of multiple trauma injuries - including a skull fracture - which had caused “internal and external haemorrhaging.”
The transcript of a 911 call made by hotel staff, revealed the hotel manager tell emergency services: "We have a guest who’s off his head on drugs and is destroying everything in his room. We need someone to come.”
The manager called back for a second time and said the guest's life was 'in danger' as they expressed concern about the balcony in Liam's room. The manager said: "We need you to send someone urgently because, well, I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. They must be in a room that has a balcony. And well, we’re a little bit worried he’ll do something, that he’ll put his life at risk.”
According to local media, drug Clonazepam, used to control seizures or fits due to epilepsy as well panic attacks, removed from Liam's hotel room.
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No credit)The father of former One Direction star Liam Payne has travelled to Buenos Aires following the singer’s death, which his former partner Cheryl has said is “indescribably painful”.
Geoff Payne was pictured in a navy suit exiting the Casa Sur Hotel in the Argentine capital, where the 31-year-old British star fell from a third floor balcony on Wednesday.
Mr Payne is said to have flown to the country to organise the repatriation of his son, the Associated Press has reported.
In a video shared on the BBC, Mr Payne was seen visiting tributes laid out by fans outside the hotel, reading letters and pausing around flowers, photographs and candles.
It comes after the singer’s family said they were “heartbroken” following his death, adding: “Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul.”
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Getty)Girls Aloud singer Cheryl has since voiced concerns over protecting the seven-year-old son she shares with Payne, following their high-profile relationship between 2016 and 2018.
“As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time, I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being,” she wrote in a post on Instagram.
Sharing a black and white picture of Payne in bed with his young son Bear, she added: “Liam was not only a pop star and celebrity, he was a son, a brother, an uncle, a dear friend and a father to our 7 year old son. A son that now has to face the reality of never seeing his father again.”
The 41-year-old concluded the statement urging people to give Payne “the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last”.
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Getty Images)Her statement came after Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy said she was at a “complete loss” following his death.
“Nothing about the past few days have felt real,” she said in a post on her Instagram story.
“Liam, my angel, you are everything. I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam.”
Meanwhile music mogul Simon Cowell said he was “truly devastated” after the death of the singer, adding that he also felt “heartbroken” and “empty”.
Payne found fame alongside Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Harry Styles when The X Factor creator Cowell put them together to form One Direction on the ITV talent show in 2010.
“Every tear I have shed is a memory of you,” he wrote in a statement on Instagram.
The 65-year-old titan of the music industry said his son Bear “will be so proud of everything you achieved, and how you achieved it”.
Payne first auditioned for The X Factor in 2008 when he was 14, singing Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, with judge Cowell telling him to return to the talent show two years later.
In 2010 he impressed the judges with a rendition of Michael Buble’s Cry Me A River before being put with four other solo hopefuls at the boot camp stage of the competition – the group which later became One Direction.
“I had to tell you when you were 14 that this wasn’t your time. And we both made a promise that we would meet again. A lot of people would have given up. You didn’t,” Cowell said.
He also said that Payne had visited him last year where they “reminisced about all of the fun times we had together”.
“After you left, I was reminded that you were still the sweet, kind boy I had met all of those years ago,” he added.
It came after Horan was the last bandmate to share a touching tribute, saying he will “cherish every moment” he had with Payne “forever”.
Payne was spotted dancing at Horan’s show around two weeks ago at the Movistar Arena alongside his girlfriend Cassidy in Argentina.
“I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever. It’s heartbreaking,” Horan wrote.
Payne’s other bandmembers also paid separate emotional tributes on social media, while a joint statement from the band said they were “completely devastated” and will miss the singer “terribly”, adding the “memories we shared with him will be treasured forever”.
The singer died of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage”, a post-mortem examination report said.
Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No 16 said it was investigating the incident as an “inconclusive death” following the report.
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