Liam Payne: who has been arrested/charged with former One Direction singer’s death?

On Wednesday, mourners will come together for the funeral of former One Direction member Liam Payne, who passed away in Buenos Aires, Argentina, a little over a month ago while on vacation. The singer fell from the third story of Casa Sur Palermo hotel in the Argentine capital after emergency services had been called, reporting that one of the guests was acting erratically.

Arrests made over Liam Payne’s death

The first arrest is of a man who was reportedly with the singer “daily” during his stay in Argentina; the second is an employee of the Casa Sur hotel, and the third, a drug supplier.

According to the local prosecutor’s office, the first man, whose identity has not been disclosed, assumed the role of Payne’s “representative” in Argentina, though he was not actually authorized to do so. He is charged with abandonment of a person after death and supplying and facilitating narcotics. If found guilty, he could face a sentence of between five and 15 years in prison.

Payne had struggled publically with addiction, and his death came as a stark reminder of the destructive impacts the disease can have on people, regardless of their status and wealth.

The hotel employee is accused of providing Payne with cocaine on two occasions, while the third detainee is allegedly the one who supplied the drug that Payne consumed before his death. Both face two charges of supplying narcotics, as reported by Rolling Stone. As yet, no one has been charged.

According to La Nación, the arrests were made following a review of 800 hours of footage and “dozens of interviews.” Additionally, nine locations were raided, and several cell phones, computers, hard drives, and a jar of marijuana were seized. The high profile nature of the case, and the demanding of awnsers following the tragic event, was a major motivating factor for law enforcement.

Liam Payne’s body now in England

Earlier this month, Payne’s body arrived in England, after the transfer was authorized since the thanatological, forensic, and laboratory examinations had been completed to aid in the law enforcement investigation. The autopsy revealed that Payne died instantly from the impact of the fall, which caused “multiple traumas and both internal and external haemorrhaging.”