Liam Payne final autopsy results reveal artist's condition before death
The final results of toxicology tests conducted in the aftermath of Liam Payne's death were revealed in a press release issued by Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No. 14. According to a translated copy of the report, the former One Direction singer and solo star had "alcohol, cocaine, and prescription antidepressants" in his system 72 hours before his death after falling from a three-story hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Liam Payne attends the Grand Reveal Weekend for Atlantis The Royal, Dubai's new ultra-luxury hotel on January 21, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Samir Hussein/Getty Images
The toxicology report's results have already been communicated to Payne's family, according to the report, who concluded that he had "only traces of polydrug use" after "the complete toxicology tests on urine, blood, and vitreous humour, carried out in a very short time."
The autopsy officials concluded that the 31-year-old star's death was caused by "'multiple trauma' and 'internal and external hemorrhage,' the result of the fall the musician suffered from the balcony of the third-floor room of the hotel in the Palermo neighborhood where he was staying."
A prosecutor requested three additional reports, which confirmed that Payne's injuries were caused by a fall from a height at the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel and that "self-harm of any kind and/or physical intervention by third parties were ruled out." Furthermore, authorities reported that Payne did not adopt a "reflex posture" to protect himself from the fall, implying that he "may have fallen in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness."
In particular, "the lack of defense or self-preservation reflex in the fall, together with other relevant data from his consumption, allow us to conclude that Liam Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall." The prosecution claimed that as a result, they could rule out the "possibility of a conscious or voluntary act on the part of the victim, since, in the state he was in, he did not know what he was doing nor could he understand it."
A frantic 911 call made by staff shortly before Payne's death described a guest who was "overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol" and "destroying [their] entire room." By the time police arrived, Payne had already fallen and died from his injuries.
Investigators reportedly discovered a variety of illegal substances in Payne's body at the time of his death, including "pink cocaine," a recreational drug mix that frequently contains ketamine along with MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, opioids, and/or psychoactive substances, before the results were made public.
Payne had previously spoken openly about his struggles with addiction. In May 2023, he celebrated 100 days of sobriety, saying, "I feel really, really good, and I've had a lot of support from the fans. So I'm extremely happy." Payne also discussed his substance abuse issues on the podcast Diary of a CEO in 2021, detailing his battles with depression and drugs during the chaotic 1D years.
Police raided the hotel last month and allegedly seized a number of items, including computer hard drives and CCTV footage from hotel cameras.
The press release issued on Thursday included information on the autopsy results as well as the arrest and charges of three individuals in Argentina related to Payne's death after "illicit conduct was discovered." These charges include abandonment of a person followed by death and the supply and facilitation of narcotics.
The three were characterized, but not identified, as a person who "accompanied the artist on a daily basis during his stay in the city of Buenos Aires," and were charged with abandonment of a person followed by death, which carries a possible punishment of 5 to 15 years in jail. A second individual was characterized as a hotel employee who "must account for two proven supplies of cocaine to Liam Payne during the period he was at the hotel," while a third, allegedly a "drug supplier," has been charged with supplying drugs.
The investigation into Payne's death included the examination of more than 800 hours of video footage from security cameras in the hotel and on nearby public roads, as well as the forensic extraction and analysis of the singer's cellphone contents, which included calls, messages, chats, and social network data. Investigators also reviewed a record of Payne's orders at the hotel bar/restaurant to discover who had visited him and their food/drink "consumption habits."
Police also obtained many terabytes of data from mobile phones belonging to hotel receptionists and other witnesses who volunteered to confirm their stories.
