They are also pursuing two criminal charges
Five people are being questioned by police in connection to the death of singer Liam Payne on Tuesday (16 October).
The 31-year-old passed away after falling from a third-floor balcony of the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires and sustaining injuries ‘not compatible’ with life.
A statement by Alberto Crescenti, the head of the state emergency medical system, reads: “The alarm was raised at 5.04pm local time saying a person was lying in an internal patio at Casa Sur.
“At 5.11pm, an ambulance arrived and the man was certified dead.
“Afterwards, we found out he had been a famous singer. Unfortunately the injuries he had suffered as a result of the fall proved to be fatal. There was no possibility of resuscitating him.”
Payne had recently attended his former bandmate Niall Horan’s concert in the Argentinian city.
Prior to his death, authorities had been called to the hotel after being told there was a man who was acting aggressive and ‘could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.’
Staff at the hotel had expressed their concerns about his access to his room’s balcony, fearing he could easily fall over the 4ft glass railing.
In one of two phone calls, a panicked worker told emergency services: “We have a guest who’s off his head on drugs and is destroying everything in his room. We need someone to come.”
After the line went dead, he called back and said: “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.”
Seconds later the employee added: “Just send an ambulance, only an ambulance.”
Now, police are pursuing two criminal charges and questioning five people in connection to the tragedy, according to Argentinian news outlet Clarin.
This includes three employees at the hotel and two women who had been in Liam’s room earlier in the day.
“The prosecution announced that beyond reconstructing the circumstances of the musician’s death, the investigation is also aimed at determining the possible involvement of third parties in the events prior to the death of the victim,” the police have published in an official statement.
According to the report, the late singer’s hotel room was ‘in total disarray, with various items broken.’
The television had been smashed and there were traces of aluminium foil, candle wax, and cans, alongside ‘a bottle of whisky, a lighter and a cell phone’ from which they took fingerprints.
“Several blister packs of medications such as clonazepam, energizers and over-the-counter medications were seen,” they said.
An autopsy report has revealed that Payne died as a result of ‘multiple trauma’ and ‘internal and external haemorrhage’ due to the fall.