Authorities have announced that Payne’s body will not be returned to his family until autopsy results are finalised
A toxicology exam on Liam Payne’s body is not yet complete, according to authorities in Argentina.
The former One Direction singer died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last week after a fall from a third floor balcony at the CasaSur hotel.
Payne, 31, was reportedly in the South American city to watch former band mate Niall Horan perform just days before his passing.
Alberto Crescenti, the head of the state emergency medical system, said that Payne had fallen around 40 metres and suffered ‘severe injuries which were incompatible with life’.
Authorities have revealed that Payne’s body is not ready to return home just yet (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Crescenti said in a statement on the day: “At 17.04 through the 911 integrated public safety system, we were alerted of a person who was in an internal courtyard of the management of a south house hotel.
“At 17.11 a SAME team arrived and verified the death of this man and later we found out that he was a singer in a musical group.
“Unfortunately, he had injuries that were incompatible with life, as a result of his fall, so we had to confirm his death, there was no possibility of resuscitation.”
Pablo Policicchio, the spokesperson for the security ministry of Buenos Aires stated that shortly after Payne’s death, police were called to the hotel after reports of an ‘aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol’.
Following reports yesterday, an Argentine official said that an initial toxicology report had found presence of the class A drug, cocaine, in Payne’s body at the time of his death.
Payne’s father was told that his body will have to be kept in Argentina until the autopsy results are confirmed (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV & DIRECTV NOW)
Andrés Esteban Madrea spoke to his father, Geoff Payne, and informed him that due to toxicology and histopathological exams not being completed, the body cannot be released back to his family as they do not have the results yet.
According to Sky News, the preliminary report was given to local prosecutors according to the official, but it was highlighted that the results shown were not an accurate representation of how much of the drug was present in his system when he died.
It is believed that the final toxicology results are not expected for several weeks, the outlet further states.
Police are also reportedly questioning five people believed to be in connection with the singer’s death.
Fans gathered outside the hotel in mourning following the news of his death, meanwhile tributes have been pouring out for the singer, including from his One Direction band mates who released a joint statement the following day, saying that they ‘will miss him terribly’.
His family has also paid tribute to him, with his sister Nicola calling him ‘her best friend’, while his family’s official statement said they were ‘heartbroken’ by his passing.
Featured Image Credit: Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage / Liam Payne/Snapchat
