admin 
Initial toxicology results show Liam Payne had cocaine in his system when he died, The Associated Press reported. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)
By Artemis Moshtaghian, CNN
(CNN) — An initial toxicology report on pop star Liam Payne shows he had cocaine in his system when he fell to his death from the third-floor balcony of his hotel room in Argentina, The Associated Press reported.
Final toxicology report findings are not expected to be released for some weeks, but the initial report “suggested evidence of exposure to cocaine,” AP reported, citing an Argentinian official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief journalists.
The circumstances surrounding the former One Direction star’s fatal fall last week at CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires remain under investigation by authorities.
“Everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall occurred,” the public prosecutor’s office in Argentina said Thursday.
Payne, 31, was previously open about his struggle with addiction and mental health.
Payne’s former bandmates – Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik – released a statement last week honoring the man they called a “brother.”
“The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” their joint statement said.
The investigation
On Wednesday, Buenos Aires police responded to the hotel after a staffer requested urgent police assistance via a 911 call to help with a hotel guest who was “overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol” and whose life they feared was “at risk,” according to the emergency call obtained by CNN’s local affiliate Todo Noticias.
Marcelo Roma, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation, last week confirmed the preliminary autopsy report that determined Payne’s death was due to multiple serious injuries and “internal and external hemorrhage” as a result of his three-story fall.
Officials investigating the incident also suspect he may not have been fully conscious at the time of his fall. “Due to the position in which the body was found and the injuries from the fall, it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness,” the report read.
A picture released by police in Buenos Aires on Wednesday showed a table in Payne’s hotel room with items scattered across it, including unidentified white powder, crumpled tinfoil and a lighter. Some charred marks are also visible on the table.
Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, traveled to Buenos Aires on Friday, visiting the hotel where his son died. Visibly emotional, Geoff Payne thanked the fans gathered outside the hotel, expressing his gratitude for their overwhelming show of support.
Over the weekend, One Direction supporters paid tribute to the singer in memorials held around the world.
Payne is survived by a 7-year-old son named Bear, whom he shared with singer Cheryl Cole.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
