Argentinean investigators are questioning two women who were present in Liam Payne's hotel room just hours before his deadly balcony fall on Wednesday evening. This comes after reports emerged that two mystery women were present in Payne's room during the drug-fueled episode and had left the hotel just moments before his death.
According to a statement from the country's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office, obtained by Page Six on Thursday, testimonies have been collected from five people connected to the case, including the two women and three hotel employees. This came as a new autopsy report suggests that he may have been unconscious at the time of his death.
Mystery Women in Payne's Room
The prosecutor's office stated that the two women "had been with the musician in his room" at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires in the hours leading up to his death "but had already left the hotel when the incident occurred."
Prosecutors added that their investigation is in part "aimed at determining the possible intervention of third parties in the events prior to the death of the victim."
However, they emphasized that "everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall occurred and was going through some kind of outbreak due to substance abuse."
Investigators believe that Payne, 31, was likely in a "semi-conscious or unconscious state" when he fell from the third-floor balcony of his room. They noted that "due to the position in which the body was left and the injuries from the fall, it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself."
Also, forensic experts examined the former One Direction member's hands and found no signs of "defensive injuries." They concluded that all injuries on his body were "vital and produced at the same time as each other, and that no injuries were observed that would suggest the intervention of third parties."
Haunting Final Moments
Officers who arrived at the scene found in the singer-songwriter's room substances that at first glance — and pending confirmation of the expert reports — would be narcotics and alcoholic beverages, as well as several destroyed objects and furniture," according to the prosecutor's office, pending confirmation from expert reports.
Photos obtained by the Argentinian news outlet La Nación revealed what appeared to be drugs, paraphernalia, and alcohol scattered throughout the ransacked suite.
Investigators indicated that Payne was likely intoxicated when he fell.
Before the incident, the "X Factor" alumnus had been behaving "erratically" on the premises, which led hotel staff to escort him back to his room.
The hotel manager then called 911, expressing concerns that Payne might harm himself due to his mental state.
By the time police arrived, "Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died on the spot due to the severity of his injuries," the prosecutor's office said.
Forensic experts "pointed out that the cranial brain injuries were sufficiently suitable to cause death, while the internal and external hemorrhages in the skull, thorax, abdomen and limbs contributed to the mechanism of death."
Payne, who had struggled with mental health and addiction, was on vacation with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, who left Argentina on Monday.
In the days leading up to his death—now being treated as "suspicious"—Payne's ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, reportedly accused him of obsessive contact and initiated legal proceedings against him, which left him feeling "extremely overwhelmed."
Henry claimed that Payne "would always play with death" and used it as a "manipulation tactic." The UK native is survived by his 7-year-old son, Bear, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole.
