CNN
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Three people are provisionally charged in Argentina with crimes related to the death of Liam Payne, a former member of the boy band One Direction, prosecutors said.

A hotel employee and a suspected drug dealer are among three people under investigation on suspicion of “abandoning a person before death, supplying and facilitating narcotics,” Argentina’s National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office said Thursday also.

The British pop star, 31, died on October 16 after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. According to the prosecutor’s statement, the late singer had alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system before his death.

Toxicology analysis indicated Payne “may have entered a state of semi- or total unconsciousness,” the report said.

The prosecutor’s office also said that medical examinations confirmed that the singer’s injuries were “compatible with those caused by a fall from a height.” Investigations ruled out self-harm or intervention by other people, the office added.

Payne’s body was turned over to the musician’s father, Geoff Payne, last week, the office said.

Argentina has a two-stage legal process, and preliminary charges are part of an investigation phase. At a later date, a judge may choose to dismiss or amend the preliminary charge, or to file formal charges, which will be considered equivalent to the charge as understood in the United States legal system.

Investigators are launching an investigation into the three individuals after collecting and reviewing evidence, including more than 800 hours of video, the agency added.

The first person is someone who authorities believe spent time with Payne “on a daily basis” during his visit to Buenos Aires. The suspect is under investigation for “abandoning a person before a death and supplying and facilitating narcotics.”

The second suspect is a hotel employee who “must answer” for allegedly supplying cocaine to the singer “twice” during Payne’s stay at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel, the statement said. The third person is someone considered by authorities to be a “narcotics supplier” and is suspected of supplying drugs to the artist on October 14.

It is unclear whether any of the three suspects are currently in custody.

Payne’s cellphone also underwent a “forensic extraction” and authorities were able to analyze calls, text messages, chats on messaging and social media apps, the prosecutor’s office wrote.

Authorities believe Payne obtained drugs from “others” at least four times during his stay at the hotel from Oct. 13 to 16, the affidavit said. CNN is attempting to reach the CasaSur Palermo Hotel for comment.

What we know so far about Liam Payne’s death

Investigators had interviewed two female escorts who were with Payne in the hours before his death, a source with knowledge of the case told CNN on Friday. The women, both 25 years old, said they did not see Payne use drugs in their presence, but that he did drink alcohol, the person added.

He had spoken openly about his struggles with substance abuse and his mental health. In the summer of 2023, Payne said he was six months sober after completing treatment at a U.S. facility. Payne’s tour was scheduled to start in September of that year in South America, but he had to postpone the planned dates due to a kidney infection.

Payne rose to fame as part of One Direction, the hugely popular boy band formed in 2010 on the British version of the X Factor. The group, which includes members Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik, announced an “indefinite hiatus” in 2016.