The Buenos Aires City Police reportedly conducted a raid at the hotel where Liam Payne passed away on Wednesday, precisely one week after his death. Sources close to the investigation informed Us Weekly that authorities aimed to interview hotel staff who were present at the Casa Sur Hotel leading up to Payne’s death. They also gathered documents and data from the hotel’s computer system.
Payne fell from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room at Casa Sur in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday, October 16. Prior to his fall, he was said to have caused a disturbance at the hotel, with staff and other guests reporting loud noises and damage to property. Insiders revealed that “the hotel must provide” all security camera footage to the police as part of the ongoing investigation. Medical examiners have determined that Payne’s cause of death was the fall, and toxicology reports confirmed the presence of drugs and alcohol in his system.
The Argentine Prosecutor’s Office issued an official statement to Us Weekly, noting that the investigation remains active. They have been in touch with Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, who expressed “his desire to investigate and to know what happened” to prosecutor Dr. Andres Esteban Madrea. Geoff is currently in Argentina under “dynamic police custody until the end of the judicial proceedings” due to his emotional state following his son’s death. The prosecutors emphasized that their primary concern is to maintain “the privacy of the family of the former member of the band One Direction.”
Payne had been in Argentina for over two weeks prior to his death and had attended a concert by his former bandmate Niall Horan during that period. His girlfriend, influencer Kate Cassidy, left Argentina on October 12 to return to the U.S. At the time, Payne was facing numerous challenges—he had recently been dropped by his record label and publicist. Additionally, he received a cease-and-desist letter from his ex-fiancée, Maya Henry, who accused him of harassment and threatened legal action if he continued to contact her and her family.
Compounding these issues, the singer was experiencing a relapse in his struggle with alcoholism and addiction. Payne had previously discussed his substance abuse problems last year, stating that he had achieved sobriety in February 2023. He admitted to relying on alcohol during his time with One Direction to cope with the pressures of fame. Fans online have raised questions about how his relapse escalated, and this new police investigation may shed light on the situation.
