‘s Buenos Aires hotel was raided by City Police for a second time following the singer’s death at age 31.
According to local sources who spoke exclusively to Us Weekly on Tuesday, November 5, the CasaSur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Payne died on October 16 after falling from a third-floor balcony, was subjected to a raid earlier in the day.
“Operations carried out by the City Police [and] requested by the prosecutor [were] within the framework of the case that is under summary secrecy,” the sources told Us, referring to a prosecutor preserving the confidentiality of a judicial investigation.
In video footage captured by Farandula Show, a local news outlet, and obtained by Us on Tuesday, three law enforcement officials were seen exiting the hotel wearing blue vests, backpacks and shoulder bags. One officer carried a cardboard box and multiple loose items under his arm.
The officers were then seen taking the items into the boot of a police car parked out the front of the hotel.
Tuesday’s operations followed an initial raid that took place on October 23. Sources told Us at the time that the first raid was conducted to identify staff members who had been working at the hotel on the day of Payne’s death and during the days prior.
As part of the first raid, officers were seeking documents within the hotel’s registration books in addition to information from hotel computers. Sources at the time noted that “the hotel must provide” more security camera footage in relation to Payne’s death.
According to Argentinian journalist , who appeared on Socios del Espectáculo, a program on the Buenos Aires-based TV station Canal 13, last month, security footage suggested that Payne fainted before falling to his death. Verela’s claim aligned to findings from Payne’s preliminary autopsy, which stated that he “may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness,” as Payne “did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself” during the fall.
According to a 911 phone call made in the hours prior to Payne’s death, a hotel receptionist phoned the authorities to report a guest who was “high on drugs” and “trashing” their room. The caller believed that the guest “may be in danger,” per the BBC.
Several days after Payne’s death, ABC reported that the singer’s partial autopsy showed that he had “pink cocaine” — a recreational drug that typically mixes methamphetamine, ketamine and MDMA — cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack in his system when he died.
A source told Us last month that local authorities are also investigating who sold drugs to Payne prior to his death. “They are looking to investigate who sold the drugs to Payne and how those substances reached the room,” the source said at the time, noting that, “it cannot be ruled out that the substances were provided by someone from the hotel.” This insider added, however, that this possibility has not been confirmed.
Us also spoke with a staff member at the CasaSur Hotel that day, who declined to provide any comment regarding where the drugs came from.
With reporting by Luciana Arias
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).
