While investigating ’s hotel room, police found the scene littered with alcohol, drugs and several broken items.
“Everything indicates that the musician was alone when the fall occurred, and was going through some kind of episode due to substance abuse,” read a statement from the prosecutor’s office in Buenos Aires on Thursday, October 17, per Reuters. “City police who surveyed the scene found substances inside the room that at first glance — and pending confirmation from the experts — would be narcotics and alcoholic beverages, as well as several destroyed objects and furniture.”
The statement also shared that authorities found Payne’s room at the CasaSur Palermo hotel was in “total disorder.” The room had various smashed objects with over-the-counter medications, energy packs and the anxiety drug Clonazepam present. (Payne was previously candid about his mental health struggles and achieved the 100-day sober milestone last year.)
“Upon entering, total disorder was observed, with various elements broken,” the police said in a statement, noting that they took fingerprints and additional evidence for further analysis.
Law enforcement also “inspected” the room’s balcony and the area where Payne fell and found a bottle of whiskey, a lighter and a phone. Us Weekly confirmed on Wednesday, October 16, that the One Direction singer died at age 31 after a fall from the hotel’s third-floor balcony. It is currently unknown “whether he jumped” or if it was an accident, police sources told Us on Thursday.
Prior to Payne’s death, police responded to an emergency phone call after 5 p.m. local time saying that there was an “aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol” on the hotel’s premises.
Payne suffered from a cranial fracture and other serious injuries in the fall. According to local first responders, the injuries were too severe for treatment and Payne was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Our role was to head there quickly, give medical attention, and try to resuscitate him, but his injuries were incompatible with life,” Buenos Aires emergency services chief said in a statement, per local Buenos Aires outlet La Nacion. “Based on what the team saw, there was apparently a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.”
A preliminary autopsy later revealed that Payne died from “internal and external” hemorrhages, presumably not as a result of any third party.
“No injuries were observed that would suggest the involvement of third parties,” the translated autopsy obtained by Us reads. “The prosecutor’s office indicated that, based on the position in which the body was found and the injuries from the fall, it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
