Police describe “total disorder” in the singer's room, autopsy confirms he died in hotel fall

More details have emerged about the moments that led to Liam Payne's death.

The 31-year-old singer died after falling from the balcony of his hotel room at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16. A 911 call from the hotel just minutes before Payne's death shows that hotel staff feared his safety and believed the singer was drunk.

Police issued a new statement Thursday about what was found at the crime scene and in Payne's room. A preliminary autopsy report confirms that Payne died as a result of head injuries related to his fall from the balcony.

In a statement, Payne's family said they were “heartbroken.”

Here's the latest.

Emergency call released

According to a BBC transcription, at 5:01 p.m. the hotel's “head receptionist” made the first of two calls about a guest who was taking “drugs and alcohol” and “trashing the entire room.” The caller claimed that if the guest “is conscious, he'll wreak havoc on the entire room and we need you to send someone.”

The hotel employee was interrupted and called 911 a second time, asking them to “send someone urgently” out of fear that the guest's “life may be in danger” since he was “in a room with a balcony.” “.

La Nación, a national newspaper in Argentina, said the resources were dispatched at 5:04 p.m. and arrived quickly. At 5:07 p.m., reports came in of a “man falling from the third floor.” Payne was pronounced dead at the scene in the hotel's courtyard a few minutes later.

Alberto Crescenti, the director of SAME (Buenos Aires Emergency Medical Services), told ABC News that Payne fell about 42 to 45 feet. He described the injuries as “very serious” and “incompatible with life.”

Police found Payne's room in “complete disarray.”

Police told Reuters they found a bottle of whiskey, a lighter and a cellphone near where Payne fell in the hotel. A fingerprint analysis is carried out.

In Payne's hotel room, police said they found over-the-counter medications, energy packs and the prescription drug clonazepam, which can be used to treat anxiety.

“Upon entering the hotel room, there was complete disarray, with various elements broken,” police said. Along with Payne's notebook and passport, they took evidence for analysis in a laboratory.

Payne has been open about past alcohol abuse and admitted in 2023 that he was sober. It is currently not confirmed whether the singer was drunk before his death. Payne spoke openly about struggling with anxiety. An investigation is ongoing.

Hotel guest claims to have heard “loud noises” coming from Payne’s room

Doug Jones, who was staying at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, told the BBC that he believed work was being done in Payne's room because there were “loud noises” inside. He said it got very loud after about 4 p.m

“I was here all day. I think they lived in the room across the street,” he said. “I thought they were working on the room. There was a lot of noise, like heavy lifting, like hammering, a lot of loud… noises, I thought.”

According to the initial autopsy, head injuries from the fall led to Payne's death

CNN obtained the preliminary report, which said Payne died as a result of “internal and external bleeding.” A toxicology report is still pending to determine whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

According to a translation, La Nación also obtained the report in which the medical examiners found that “25 injuries described in the autopsy were consistent with injuries caused by a fall” from the height of Payne's room. The head injuries sustained were so severe that they resulted in death. No defensive injuries were found on Payne's body.

In Argentina, a court can request a forensic autopsy in the event of a violent or suspicious death, but family authorization is not required.

The National Criminal and Penitentiary Prosecutor's Office No. 16 is responsible for the investigation into Payne's death. Although it was classified as suspicious, the office told La Nación that “everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall happened and was experiencing some kind of outburst due to drug abuse.”

Payne's family remembers “his kind, funny and courageous soul”

The musician's family issued their first statement: “We are heartbroken. Liam will live on in our hearts forever and we will remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul. We support each other as best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space during this terrible time.

Fans gather in front of Payne's hotel

Devastated fans flocked to the CasaSur Palermo Hotel to mourn the former One Direction singer. They gathered with candles, flowers, letters and songs.