Officials have released the cause of death of Liam Payne, the former member of the British boy band One Direction, in a preliminary report.
According to Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No. 14, Payne died from "multiple traumas" and "internal and external hemorrhage," after he fell from the balcony of a third-story room of the Casa Sur Hotel balcony located in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires on Oct. 16.
The case is being investigated as a "doubtful death," according to protocols put in place by the prosecutor's office. However, a media release from the office states that "everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall occurred, and was going through some kind of outbreak due to substance abuse."
Payne's death is believed to have occurred at around 5:07 p.m. on Wednesday. The prosecutor's office says that minutes earlier a 911 call was made asking for help with a guest "who was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and had destroyed some objects in the room."
"When the same and officers from the 14B Neighborhood Police Station of the City Police arrived, Payne had already fallen from the balcony of his room and died on the spot due to the severity of his injuries," the release explained.
Forensic medical staff from the Forensic Medical Corps within the Judicial Morgue performed the autopsy between 9:45 p.m. and 11:05 p.m.
"The cause of death of Liam James Payne determined macroscopically, has been polytrauma, internal and external hemorrhage," the office revealed.
"The medical examiners clarified that 'the requested complementary studies may confirm, rectify and/or complement the aforementioned macroscopic conclusions,' and in this regard reported that histopathological, biochemical and toxicological studies were requested. At this point, the analysis of the stomach contents, alcohol and toxins in the blood, vitreous humor, bile, nasal swab and urine for the determination of alcohol and toxins was required."
The coroners noted Payne suffered 25 injuries and "described in the autopsy are compatible with those caused by a fall from a height."
"They also pointed out that the head injuries were sufficient to cause death, while the internal and external hemorrhages in the skull, thorax, abdomen and limbs contributed to the mechanism of death."
No defensive injuries were found on Payne's body and no other injuries were found "that would suggest the intervention of third parties."
"Given the position in which the body was left and the injuries from the fall, it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflex posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness," prosecutors said.
Arriving investigators found what looked like alcohol and narcotics in Payne's hotel room. Prosecutors are awaiting official confirmation on those substances by experts. They also found "several destroyed objects and furniture."
Three hotel workers and two women who were with Payne in his hotel room hours before his death were interviewed by the prosecutor's office. The two had already left the hotel before this all happened.
The prosecutor's office also said that while it's looking into the "circumstances" around Payne's death, they're also investigating "the possible involvement of third parties in the events prior to the victim's death."
The "Get Low" singer has been vocal about struggling with alcoholism, posting a video in July 2023 to his YouTube channel where he said he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment. Representatives for Payne did not immediately return emails and calls.
Payne passed away at 31 years old. He leaves behind a 7-year-old son.