Liam Payne’s dad is willing to work with Argentine authorities in the days following the One Direction member’s death. Officials are still waiting for the autopsy to be completed before sending his body back to his home country.
Liam Payne died after falling off a third-floor story hotel room balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 16, 2024. Alberto Crescenti, Buenos Aires emergency services chief, told La Nación that the One Direction member suffered “serious injuries” that were untreatable once responders arrived at the scene. An autopsy found that Liam Payne had 25 injuries “compatible with those produced by a fall from height” and that his cause of death was “polytraumatism, internal and external hemorrhage,” the Argentina National Prosecutor’s Office said.
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After a partial toxicology report was released, Argentine authorities reported that they were not ready to release his body to his family. “The representative of the Public Prosecutor’s Office informed the father that the toxicological and histopathological studies complementary to the autopsy have not yet been completed, and that their results are necessary to decide on the release of the body,” a spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor’s Office told CNN in a statement Tuesday.
Will Liam Payne’s body be cremated?
Liam Payne’s family has not revealed whether or not his body will be buried or cremated yet. Days after his death, his father Geoff Payne went to Argentina to identify his body and arrange repatriation. It’s reported that his funeral will be held sometime in November since his body is likely to remain in Argentina for 10 to 15 days while authorities await the results of the ongoing toxicological tests.
According to a National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 press release translated from Spanish, the One Direction member’s father “expressed his desire for an investigation and knowledge of what happened and expressed to the prosecutor his willingness to testify about everything he knows about his son’s life, which can help the investigation,” per the prosecutor’s office release. The toxicological and histopathological studies needed for his autopsy report have not been completed as of October 23. 2024, and his body cannot be sent back until the investigation is completed. Geoff will be “accompanied by a police official until his judicial formalities have been completed” and all information will be given to the family first.
“At the same time, testimonials are being accepted to reconstruct his final hours at the scene, a process that continues with the hotel staff, acquaintances, medical and technical professionals, and other people linked to the victim through his work,” authorities said.
As the Payne family navigates this loss, they’ve asked for privacy and space. In a statement, they shared, “We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we’ll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time.”
What was found in Liam Payne’s toxicology report?
Sources told ABC News that Todo Noticias and other Argentine media outlets reported that a preliminary report found evidence of exposure to “pink cocaine,” cocaine, alongside traces of methamphetamines, ketamine, MDMA, benzodiazepines, and crack cocaine in his system.