Liam Payne was trying to escape from hotel room before he fell to his death—report
Liam Payne was attempting to escape his hotel room through his balcony on the third floor before he fell to his death, according to a report.
Entertainment portal TMZ reported that new CCTV footage showed that the late singer was seemingly trying to get out of the Buenos Aires hotel when he died.
He appeared to be heavily intoxicated when he was brought to his room by hotel staff, looking like he didn't want to be there.
Per the media outlet, a hotel worker later called 911 and said they were afraid Payne might hurt himself, indicating that they knew an accident could possibly happen.
“I don’t know whether his life may be in danger. He is in a room with a balcony, and, well, we’re a little afraid,” the staff said, according to a 911 transcript that TMZ obtained.
The employees then left Payne alone in his unit.
Payne fell to his death from the hotel balcony on Oct. 16. He was 31. It's presumed that he "was trying to get from the third floor balcony to the second floor balcony, and then jump a short distance to the ground," TMZ reported, adding that Payne had used the "balcony escape plan" in the past, with the most recent one in September when he was suspected to have been on a "drug binge."
In a police report obtained by the outlet, it's stated that a black New York Yankees hat and a Louis Vuitton bag were seen next to his body after his passing. According to the media portal, he possibly put them on when he came back to his room as both items were not shown in videos that were previously made public.
A brown leather bag with pills as well as a Jack Daniel's bottle with a note that read "For Liam" was also discovered in the scene.
His room was found destroyed, with broken objects and furniture.
Officials determined that Payne died from multiple traumas and internal and external bleeding caused by the fall. He “did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and ... he may have fallen in a state of semi- or total unconsciousness,” they said.
His body was delivered to his father, Geoff Payne, this November after an autopsy report, including several toxicology tests, showed Payne had traces of alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in his system in the moments before his death.
His funeral began on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at St. Mary's Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Aside from his parents, his girlfriend Kate Cassidy and ex Cheryl Tweedy were there. His former bandmates Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, and Louis Tomlinson were also spotted at the private service.