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Topics: Liam Payne, News
Chloe Jackson
Topics: Liam Payne, News
Three people have been arrested in relation to One Direction star Liam Payne's death, the public prosecutor's office in Argentina has announced.
The singer died aged 31 on 16 October after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires.
In a statement, the prosecutor's office said that 'from the beginning of the investigation and within a few days, exhaustive and meticulous actions and measures were taken to clarify the circumstances surrounding the artist's death', adding that prosecutors have been attempting to 'reconstruct the days in which Payne was staying at the 'Casa Sur' hotel on Costa Rica Street'.
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It went on to confirm that during the investigation into Payne's death, 'illicit conduct was discovered from which three people were charged with the crimes of abandonment of a person followed by death, supply and facilitation of narcotics'.
One person who the singer is said to have been 'accompanied by on a daily basis' during his time in the city has been charged with abandoning a person followed by death.
Meanwhile, a hotel employee is accused of supplying Payne with cocaine twice while he stayed there, and a third person is accused of supplying drugs to the singer twice on 14 October.
A toxicology report found Payne had alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system within three days before his death.
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Authorities added that nine raids were carried out at homes 'in the Federal Capital and the province of Buenos Aires'.
The suspects have not been named by police.
Payne - who shared seven-year-old son Bear with ex-partner Cheryl Cole - had been visiting South America to attend the concert of his former bandmate Niall Horan.
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He and his girlfriend Kate Cassidy - who returned home to Florida in the days prior to the incident - had been staying at the CasaSur hotel when fellow guests called police about an 'aggressive man' at the property.
Witnesses said the individual in question 'may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol', before he was identified as musician Payne.
A preliminary post-mortem revealed that the singer had died due to ''internal and external haemorrhaging' from injuries sustained from the fall.
The public prosecutor in charge of the case confirmed to the BBC yesterday (6 November) that Payne's body had been flown back to the UK and released to his family.
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The investigation is ongoing.