Liam Payne was trying to escape from hotel when he fell to his death: Report

Former One Direction star Liam Payne was trying to escape from his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, when he fell to his death, the tabloid TMZ has reported citing a police report.

The probe has reportedly revealed that the hotel staff knew about his intentions to escape from his room using the balcony and yet left him alone there even though they called emergency services immediately afterwards.

Drug cocktail in system

CCTV footage from the CasaSur Palermo Hotel reportedly shows a struggling Payne being escorted to his room through the lobby by hotel employees just before one of them made the call.

The 31-year-old singer was reportedly intoxicated with a lethal cocktail of drugs, says his toxicology report. Among the mix was reportedly crack cocaine and pink cocaine (tusi), the latter including ketamine and other substances, which can be dangerously hallucinogenic.

Also read: Singer Liam Payne dies after fall from Buenos Aires hotel room balcony

A hotel staffer rang up emergency services moments later, saying Payne might try to use the balcony to escape and hurt himself in the process. A 911 transcript of the call has recorded the employee as saying, “I don’t know whether his life may be in danger. He is in a room with a balcony, and, well, we’re a little afraid.”

Bags show escape attempt

When the police later found Payne’s body on the ground directly below his balcony, he had a bag and a hat near him, suggesting that he had gathered his belongings, ostensibly to escape.

Not only that, two days after his death, a hotel staffer reportedly found a brown leather bag on the second-floor balcony, evidently belonging to Payne. It contained pills and a bottle of whiskey with “for Liam” written on it.

According to the TMZ, Payne is believed to have thrown the bag down from the third flood, intending to retrieve it after making his way there. He may have been trying to get closer to the ground before jumping and making his escape.

Also read: Liam Payne (1993-2024): A pop sensation’s tragedy, a life lived too fast

History of escaping hotel rooms

Payne reportedly had a history of escaping from hotel rooms using balconies. A similar incident had reportedly happened earlier in Florida, when his bodyguard, concerned over his drug use, had to lock him up in his room.

According to the TMZ report, Argentinian authorities are allegedly trying to shield the hotel, which evidently prioritised safeguarding its property and avoiding disruptions over ensuring Payne’s safety.

While the coroner has suggested that Payne might have been unconscious, it is clear from his activities immediately before his fatal fall that he was very much conscious. Three persons — a friend of the singer, a waiter, and a former hotel employee who allegedly supplied Payne with drugs — are facing charges.