New details have emerged about how Liam Payne spent his final hours at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina – and the investigation has raised some serious questions.

Argentine police released CCTV footage that appears to show Payne being carried back to his third-floor room by three men believed to be hotel workers minutes before his death. According to his autopsy, the former One Direction singer was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and is said to have caused disturbances in the lobby several times in the days before his death. However, Payne appears to be conscious in the video as he holds his head up while being carried. Shortly after being returned to his hotel room, the singer fell to his death.

TMZ obtained the police report that said Payne may have been trying to escape his room via the balcony when he fell. Some witness statements reportedly support the theory. When his body was recovered, Payne had a bag strapped to his shoulder, which he did not have in the lobby video moments before the incident. A hotel employee also discovered a brown holdall on the second floor balcony directly below his room. There was a note that supposedly said “for Liam,” along with pills and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. One theory is that he dropped the bag before attempting to escape from his balcony.

According to surveillance video obtained by TMZ, Payne did not want to return to his room and had problems with hotel security, who let him in with a master key. Staff also removed a mirror outside his bedroom. Sources claim to the outlet that Payne didn’t like being alone in hotel rooms, as he often was during his time with One Direction.

While Payne was allegedly under the influence of drugs in mid-September, his bodyguard was concerned for his well-being and took him to a room while they were staying at a rental home in Florida. Payne allegedly escaped from the balcony with a garden hose, a source told TMZ.

The 911 call, released shortly after Payne’s death on October 16, showed that hotel staff were concerned that Payne might be in a room with a balcony, as they specifically mentioned this when calling for help. A few moments later, Payne fell and died of “multiple trauma” injuries as a “result of the fall,” according to the autopsy. He was in a state of “semi- or total unconsciousness.” The prosecution ruled out “self-harm of any kind” and ruled out that a third party was responsible for Payne’s fall. He had traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his system.

Three people have been arrested in connection with Payne’s death. A former hotel employee and a suspected drug dealer have been accused of selling him narcotics. Payne’s friend Roger Nores, who had been very close to the singer in recent months, was charged with abandonment because he saw Payne get off the car and leave him alone an hour before the incident. However, TMZ reported that a judge ruled that national prosecutors did not have jurisdiction to prosecute and that their appeal of the verdict was rejected. Local prosecutors have not yet filed charges.

Court documents obtained by TMZ regarding the abandonment allegation paint a troubling timeline leading up to Payne’s death.

The evening before his death, the singer ordered four bottles of whiskey. At 6:36 a.m. on October 16, he ordered five more bottles. At 9:32 a.m., he allegedly asked Nores for “6 grams,” possibly referring to cocaine. The two had breakfast together and Nores left. At 2 p.m., Payne allegedly asked a hotel employee for another “7 grams.”

Nores returned around 3:45 p.m. Although a hotel employee claimed that Payne was “visibly drunk” and had dilated pupils, Nores left the hotel at 4:04 p.m., telling authorities that he believed the singer was fine and did not appear to be under the influence of something. Witnesses claim to have heard Payne breaking things in his room shortly afterwards. Payne eventually made his way to the lobby, where several guests claimed he appeared to be behaving erratically. Payne was carried up by security before 5 p.m. Minutes later he fell to his death.

Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy was said to be heartbroken when the video was released. “He could have been saved, he could have been helped,” her friend told the New York Post. “It’s devastating – and infuriating.”

Payne’s former bandmate Zayn Malik, who attended the star’s funeral last week, paid tribute to his friend at the first show of his Stairway to the Sky tour on November 23. “Liam Payne 1993-2024 Love You Bro” with a red heart flashing on the screen.