Buenos Aires — The body of former One Direction singer Liam Payne will be returned to his family, according to sources close to the investigation. Police sources confirmed to media that Argentine authorities have granted permission for Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, to repatriate his son’s body to England.
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Geoff Payne has reportedly been in Buenos Aires since October 18, working with British Embassy officials to facilitate the return of his son’s remains.
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Payne, 30, died on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room at CasaSur Hotel in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. Emergency medical personnel were called to the scene following reports of a man acting erratically, possibly under the influence, according to Alberto Crescenti, the director of Buenos Aires Emergency Medical Services (SAME). Payne was pronounced dead at the scene.
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A preliminary autopsy revealed that Payne sustained “multiple traumas” and suffered from “internal and external bleeding” following the fall. The autopsy also reported 25 injuries on his body. Additionally, toxicology findings indicated that multiple substances were in Payne’s system at the time of his death.
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Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage that allegedly shows interactions between a drug dealer and a hotel employee, who may have provided Payne with drugs before his death. Police sources say an October 23 raid was conducted at CasaSur Hotel as part of this ongoing probe.
Other footage reportedly shows Payne asleep in the hotel lobby with a bottle of whiskey in his hand, although officials have not publicly commented on whether alcohol played a role in the incident.
Authorities have ruled out suicide or intentional harm as factors in Payne’s death. The investigation has also revealed that two female escorts were seen at the hotel in the hours preceding his fatal fall, sources told media.
The family is now expected to proceed with plans for Payne’s burial in England.
