Liam Payne's body was found in a hotel courtyard next to a lighter, a whisky bottle, and a mobile phone, and staff have now shared that they had concerns about the star's access to a low balcony before his fall.
Hotel staff reportedly were worried that the 5'10" singer was so drunk that he could easily topple over the glass balcony, which stands at about 4 feet high and was described as "easy to fall over." Argentinian police are now suggesting that Payne may have been "going through some type of outbreak as a result of substance abuse" before his lost balance and fell nearly 45 feet to his death.
Doubts About Balcony Safety
The 31-year-old singer fell from the third floor into the courtyard of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night, with medics later confirming his death. Prior to the incident, a worried hotel staff member made two urgent calls.
In the first, he said, "We have a guest who's off his head on drugs and is destroying everything in his room. We need someone to come."
After the call abruptly ended, he called back, adding, "I'm not sure if the guest's life is in danger. There's a balcony, and we're worried he might do something."
According to local reports, Payne had been "behaving erratically in the hotel lobby, smashing his laptop," before being "carried back to his room."
Moments later, the staff member, identified as Esteban, said, "Just send an ambulance, only an ambulance." Workers had heard a loud noise in the courtyard just before Payne's body was found shortly after 5 p.m. local time.
Preliminary autopsy results revealed that the singer died from 25 injuries caused by the fall, leading to "internal and external bleeding," with "head injuries alone being fatal."
Medics reported that the singer "did not adopt a reflexive posture" during the fall, suggesting he may have been fully or partially unconscious at the time of his death.
Last night, hotel guests who were staying at the same location as Payne shared their memories of the moments before his death, describing hearing 'loud crashes' and a 'scream.'
Grim Discovery
Payne was found dead by police, who reported finding the pop star's medicines, including clonazepam, a drug used to treat epilepsy, involuntary muscle spasms, and panic disorders. Photos published in the Argentinian media, including major newspapers, claim to show Payne's suite at the Casa Sur hotel in Palermo.
Just minutes before his death, hotel staff made a frantic call to 911 about "an aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol" and who was "destroying his room."
The images from inside the luxury suite, shared by Argentinian magazine Clarin, appeared to support concerning reports about Payne's mental state.
A table was seen cluttered with tin foil, white powder, a lighter, and scorch marks on the wooden surface.
Also, a blackened aluminum drink can lid appeared to have been heated, while a broken TV screen on a shelf showed signs of a heavy impact, and a half-empty champagne flute was nearby.
Police later confirmed that during their search of the pop star's room, medications such as clonazepam were found.
