Toxicological tests showed the presence of cocaine in the body of British musician Liam Payne, who died last week after falling from the balcony of a hotel in the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires – the Infobae portal reported, citing investigative sources.
The Buenos Aires prosecutor's office, which is conducting the investigation, also has preliminary results of laboratory analysis of samples taken from the artist's room, including “various biological remains,” Infobae reported.
White powder found
According to the portal's sources, a white powder resembling cocaine found on the desk in Payne's room was also tested, but it has not yet been identified and further analyzes are needed.
“The test results are a step towards clarifying the case and bring closer the possibility of bringing back the British body Argentina to Great Britain, which cannot happen until the cause of death is 'scientifically confirmed', the portal's interlocutors informed.
Sources said there is currently no suspicion that the artist was murdered or that medics or hotel staff were negligent.
Liam Payne's death
The body of Payne, a former member of the British-Irish boy band One Direction, was found on October 16 in the inner courtyard of a hotel in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires. An autopsy showed that the cause of death was a fall from the balcony on the third floor of the building, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
No injuries were found on the body suggesting the involvement of third parties, but based on the wounds and the position of the body, it was estimated that at the time of the fall the artist could have been partially or completely unconscious, which in turn could be related to the consumption of alcohol and other drugs. The prosecutor's office is trying to determine who supplied the musician with drugs.
Main photo source: Ian West/PAP/EPA