Argentinian authorities have reportedly conducted a raid of the Buenos Aires hotel where Liam Payne died last week.
Last Wednesday (October 16), it was announced that the solo artist and former One Direction member had tragically died at the age of 31 after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Argentinian prosecutor’s office has since shared that his cause of death was due to multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Payne reportedly had pink cocaine and several other substances in his system at the time of his fatal balcony fall. Sources told ABC News that results of a partial autopsy showed he had “pink cocaine” – a drug typically made up of a mix of substances including methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA and others – as well as cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack in his system. The report went on to allege that a makeshift aluminium pipe had been recovered from the hotel room he was staying in at the time.
Now, local news site La Nacion has reported that the Buenos Aires police department have raided the CasaSur hotel in search of further evidence. Sources told the paper that they were specifically in search of documentation, film records and video that could help piece together the final hours of the late singer’s life.
The Guardian has additionally reported that among the items seized by participating offers so far include computer hard drives and the hotel’s security camera footage. Additionally, La Nacion notes that further interviews have been conducted with staff working at the hotel, as well as several members of the authorities, including technical and medical professionals who have worked on the case.
The raid was ordered by Judge Laura Bruniard and Andrés Madrea, the latter of whom is leading the case for the public prosecutor’s office. The prosecutor’s office aims to conduct forensic tests on cell phones, computers, photographs, security footage and all other forms of evidence seized during the raid, per Rolling Stone.
The raid comes after Geoff Payne, Liam’s father, arrived in Buenos Aires to aid in investigations last week. He requested that Madrea and the public prosecutor’s office investigate Liam’s death fully while awaiting a complete toxicology and autopsy report, after which he would bring his son’s body back to the UK.
Payne’s tragic death has triggered conversations about putting more protections in place for young artists, with songwriter Guy Chambers calling on the music industry to stop putting minors in boybands following his passing. Payne was 14 when he first auditioned for the X Factor, and 16 when he became a member of One Direction during the show’s 10th season.
Elsewhere, Sharon Osbourne also accused the music industry of “letting down” Payne, writing in an Instagram post: “Liam, my heart aches. We all let you down. Where was this industry when you needed them? You were just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world. Who was in your corner? Rest in peace my friend.”
Katie Waissel, who competed alongside One Direction on the talent show, has since called for more “care and support for young artists”. Similarly, Rebecca Ferguson, who finished in second place on the same season of the show, paid tribute to Payne while also speaking out against the “exploitation and profiteering of young stars.”
Bruce Springsteen has also said that the music industry puts “enormous pressures on young people” in the wake of Payne’s death, while Victoria Canal shared that, as an artist who feels “desperate” to achieve the success that Payne once had, feels duped by “the promise of what ‘success’ in this industry is.”
A new petition has since been launched, calling for a new law to safeguard the mental well-being of artists in the music industry. The petition has surpassed over 100,000 signatures.
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