Police in Argentina Raid Homes in Investigation of Liam Payne's Death

 

In an ongoing investigation into the death of former One Direction member Liam Payne, Argentinian authorities have reportedly conducted raids on the homes of two hotel employees and an acquaintance linked to the singer.

According to reports from TMZ, these raids took place Tuesday night, with authorities also searching lockers of staff members at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, where Payne, 31, died last month after falling from a third-floor balcony. Police believe that the hotel employees had been in contact with Payne shortly before the tragic incident.

TMZ reports that police used phone records to identify a "friend" of Payne’s suspected of supplying him with drugs, though the individual was not at home during the raid.

This follows an earlier raid on the hotel itself, where officers seized both electronic and paper records in an attempt to understand the circumstances surrounding Payne’s death. Authorities are investigating claims that staff may have supplied drugs to Payne in the hours preceding his fatal fall on October 16. The post-mortem examination confirmed that he died from head injuries sustained in the fall.

Prosecutors are reportedly exploring the possibility that Payne may have been in a "state of semi or total unconsciousness" during an alleged drug-fueled episode on the morning of his death. According to local media, a hotel receptionist made two urgent calls to emergency services, expressing concerns about Payne’s behavior and warning of the danger posed by the balcony. In the initial call, the employee described Payne as "off his head on drugs," damaging items in his room, and needing immediate assistance. The worker followed up, stating, "I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger. The room has a balcony, and we are afraid he might do something."

Payne was reportedly seen behaving erratically in the hotel lobby and damaged his laptop before being escorted back to his room. Moments later, a loud noise was heard in the hotel courtyard, where Payne’s body was discovered shortly after 5 p.m. local time.