Liam Payne, the former member of One Direction, "jumped" to death from the hotel balcony in Argentina, the New York Post cited local authorities as confirming. The 31-year-old was found dead after falling off his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
Putting an end to speculations about the circumstances surrounding Liam's death, Buenos Aires Security Ministry communications director Pablo Policicchio confirmed that the 31-year-old “jumped” to his death.
“[He] had jumped from the balcony of his room” on the third floor of Casa Sur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires,” Policicchio said in a statement, according to NYT.
Authorities also said Liam's fall resulted in “extremely serious injuries,” leading to his death on the spot. A toxicology report has been ordered.
According to the Associated Press, the hotel staff had called 911 with concerns about a guest who they say was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol.”
Police had rushed to the hotel after the call and later confirmed they arrived just minutes before the fall.
However, prosecutors have categorised Liam's death as “suspicious”.
The AP has citied prosecutors has describing Liam's case as “suspicious,” citing the likelihood that the singer had been drinking alcohol and taking drugs. The office also confirmed all signs pointed to Liam being alone at the time of the incident.
The public prosecutor also said the lack of defensive injuries on Liam's hands indicated that “he did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness.”
Buenos Aires police, as quoted by AP, said they found Liam’s hotel room “in complete disarray.”
They saw “various items broken” and recovered packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, energy supplements and other over-the-counter drugs strewn among his belongings.
Forensics teams also reported that authorities recovered a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone from the internal courtyard where Payne’s body was found.
Evidence collected from the scene, a statement from Argentine authorities added, suggested Payne “was going through some kind of substance abuse episode.”
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