Police investigating the death of Liam Payne are reportedly focused on one object found in the Buenos Aires, Argentina, hotel room the singer was staying in before he fell to his death: a Dove soap box.
Law enforcement believe the soap box could reveal who provided Payne with drugs that medical examiners found in his system, according to TMZ.
Police sources in Buenos Aires told the outlet that cops are looking to see if an employee at the Casa Sur hotel delivered drugs to Payne using the the Dove soap box to keep them hidden from plain view.
The soap box can be seen in a photo of the detritus found in the room after the star’s tragic death. The box was on a table where law enforcement also found drugs and drug-related paraphernalia, such as tin foil and white powder.
Buenos Aires police have been exploring the possibility that a hotel employee delivered the drugs Payne ingested before his death, per TMZ. According to the site, cops are focused on one employee who they believe may have provided Payne with an anti-anxiety medication they found at the scene.
TMZ also reported that law enforcement officers are trying to determine whether that same employee provided Payne with the toxic cocktail of drugs that appeared in his preliminary autopsy report.
According to ABC News, the star had taken “pink cocaine,” a recreational drug that often combines MDMA, ketamine and methamphetamine. Broadcaster Todo Noticias, along with other Argentine media outlets and TMZ, said the autopsy also indicated Payne had exposure to cocaine and traces of methamphetamines, ketamine and MDMA in his system, as well as benzodiazepines and crack cocaine.
Police from a special investigations unit raided the Casa Sur hotel on Wednesday night following orders from the public prosecutors’ office, the AP reported Thursday.
Law enforcement seized computer hard drives and footage from hotel cameras, according to a government official who spoke with the AP.
Payne’s father, Geoff, arrived in Argentina shortly after his son’s death to help police with their investigation. The ex-One Direction singer’s bodyguard, Paul Higgins, has also been working with law enforcement and was reportedly seen questioning several hotel staffers earlier this week.
Payne died on Oct. 16 after he fell from the third-floor balcony of his hotel. He was 31. According to the preliminary autopsy report, Payne’s death was caused by multiple injuries including internal and external bleeding resulting from the fall.
The singer was reportedly acting erratically before he died, spurring a hotel manager to call police for help.
The Post has reached out to Buenos Aires city police and the Argentine Ministry of Justice.
