A guest staying at the CasaSur Palermo hotel heard a “really loud, violent scream” coming from Liam Payne’s room before the One Direction singer’s death, according to a new report.
Payne died at the age of 31 on Wednesday, after he fell three stories from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In an interview with People magazine, another guest staying at the same hotel recalled hearing “a lot of noise” described as sounds like “heavy lifting” or “banging” in Payne’s room before the accident.
“I thought it was construction. I thought they were renovating the room,” said the hotel guest.
A hotel guest staying at the CasaSur Palermo hotel reported hearing a “loud, violent scream” coming from Liam Payne’s room before the singer died. (Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
The guest recalled seeing hotel staff “coming in and out” of Payne’s room and then hearing “more noise” around 4:30 p.m.
Minutes later as the chaos in the room continued, the guest recalled, “I heard a very loud and violent scream.”
The patron then “heard sirens” but paid no attention until they “went down the elevator.” The customer told the store they then saw “the whole street full of police cars.”
Authorities confirmed Payne died just after 5 p.m. at the hotel. An employee called the emergency line to report a guest “under the influence of alcohol and drugs who had broken several items in his room.”
“We need you to send someone urgently because I don’t know if the guest’s life is in danger,” the employee said in the 911 call, via Reuters. “He has a room with a balcony. And we’re a little worried that he’s going to do something that could put his life in danger.”
Payne died on Wednesday as a result of a “fall from the balcony of a third-floor room” at a hotel in Buenos Aires. (Getty Images)
Upon arrival, officials discovered that “Payne had fallen from his room balcony and died at the scene due to his injuries.”
According to the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 16, temporarily headed by Marcelo Roma, a preliminary autopsy showed that Payne died of “multiple injuries” and “internal and external bleeding.”
“I heard a very loud and fierce scream.”
— The nameless guest of the CasaSur Palermo hotel
The circumstances surrounding his death are still being investigated as a “suspicious” death, according to the report, although it appears that Payne was alone when the fall occurred and that the British native was “experiencing some type of substance abuse flare-up.”
Buenos Aires police said they found Payne’s hotel room “completely cluttered” with “many broken items.” Packages of clonazepam (commonly sold under the brand name Klonopin and a central nervous system depressant), energy pills and other over-the-counter drugs were found scattered among his belongings, according to the AP.
Forensic teams also reported that a bottle of whisky, a lighter and a mobile phone were recovered from the courtyard where Payne’s body was found.
A preliminary autopsy found that Payne died of “multiple trauma injuries” and “internal and external bleeding.” (Associated Press)
His body was then transported to the Judicial Mortuary, where an autopsy was performed between 9:45 and 11:05 p.m. The medical examiner ordered histopathological, biochemical and toxicological tests, which are currently pending.
According to the autopsy, investigators reported finding 25 injuries “consistent with those sustained from a fall from a height.” They also noted that “the cranial injuries were sufficient to cause death, while internal and external hemorrhages to the skull, chest, abdomen, and extremities contributed to the mechanism of death.”
When Payne’s hands were examined, no defensive wounds were confirmed. Additionally, due to the position of the abandoned body and the injuries sustained from the fall, the report said, “it is believed that Payne did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he may have been in a semi-conscious state—or completely unconscious.”
Payne pictured with One Direction band members Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan in 2010. (Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)
In 2008, Payne was discovered by Simon Cowell while auditioning for “The X Factor” at the age of 14. Despite being cut, he returned to the show two years later and joined Harry Styles Zayn Malik, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson to form a supergroup that later finished third in the competition.
One Direction signed with Cowell after “The X Factor” and became one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.
The group rose to global fame with their hits, including “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Story of My Life,” and “Best Song Ever.” They released five chart-topping albums in five years after competing on “The X Factor” and embarked on four world tours.
Payne is father to son Bear, 7, whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole .
Since Payne’s death, members of his family, One Direction bandmates, Cole and many other celebrities have shared tributes to the late singer.