Three people charged in relation to former One Direction singer's death
Autopsy revealed alcohol, cocaine, and antidepressants in Payne's system
Three people have been charged in relation to One Direction singer Liam Payne's death in a fall from his Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, Argentine authorities said on Thursday.
The 31-year-old's death shocked the world and raised questions about how he had fallen.
A 911 call from a hotel employee the day Payne died warned that he had been acting aggressively and could have been under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
An autopsy revealed the former boy band member had traces of alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his system when he died, a prosecutor's office said in a statement on Thursday.
FILE PHOTO: British Singer Liam Payne performs at the 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards at Wembley Arena in London, Britain, November 12, 2017. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo
Payne's body was handed over to his father, Geoff, over the weekend and flown back to his native England. Over the past few weeks, Geoff had been seen alongside longtime One Direction bodyguard Paul Higgins at the CasaSur hotel, where his son died.
Those charged in Payne's death include a suspected drug dealer, a hotel employee who may have provided Payne with the cocaine, and a person who was close to the singer, the authorities said.
All are accused of playing a role in giving Payne the drugs, with the hotel employee accused of giving Payne cocaine at least twice during his stay, and the alleged drug dealer believed to have provided it twice more two days before his death.
FILE PHOTO: Singer Liam Payne poses for photographers at the world premiere of the film "I am Bolt" in London, Britain, November 28, 2016. REUTERS/Neil Hall/File Photo
The person who was visiting with Payne is also charged with "abandonment of a person followed by death," authorities said.
None of those charged were named, but according to the statement, they will be notified and prohibited from leaving the country.
The investigation into the circumstances of Payne's death will continue, prosecutors said, adding that they were still trying to unlock the singer's broken laptop.
Witnesses had told local media that they saw Payne smashing his laptop in the hotel lobby.
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