One year on, Argentina probes Payne death as British estate advances

It has been one year since former One Direction member Liam Payne, 31, died after falling from a third floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires on October 16, 2024, and the Argentine investigation into his death remains open while legal and estate matters continue to unfold in Britain. Payne was pronounced dead at the hotel shortly after emergency services arrived that evening, prompting an international outpouring of grief and ongoing scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding his death.

A postmortem and subsequent toxicology tests confirmed the immediate medical cause of death as polytrauma, the result of multiple traumatic injuries sustained in the fall. Toxicology identified alcohol, cocaine, and prescribed antidepressants in his system. Investigators reported signs of disturbance and drug use in Payne’s hotel room, and authorities have said they believe he was likely impaired or unconscious at the time of the fall.

Criminal proceedings in Argentina have progressed slowly. Five people, including hotel staff and acquaintances, were initially charged with negligent homicide and drug supply; some manslaughter charges against individuals connected to the hotel...