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Police say they found Liam Payne's hotel room "in complete disarray" and have detailed more than two dozen injuries to the star's body but are yet to settle on the exact cause of the former One Direction singer's death.
Prosecutors on Thursday (early Friday AEDT) said they were treating the case as a "suspicious death", given that evidence collected from the scene indicated Payne "was going through some kind of substance abuse outbreak" at the time of his fall.
They said all reports pointed to Payne being alone at the time of the incident.
READ MORE: What we know about the death of former One Direction star Liam Payne
The death of the man who shot to stardom as a member of the boy band and grappled with intense global fame while still in his teens sent shockwaves across the world on Thursday.
Fans, music industry figures and fellow musicians paid tribute to the 31-year-old, who died after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires.
As fans and media swarmed the Casa Sur Hotel in the trendy Palermo neighbourhood of Argentina's capital, the forensics unit worked inside on Thursday collecting evidence.
Buenos Aires police said they found packs of clonazepam, a central nervous system depressant, as well as energy supplements and other over-the-counter drugs strewn about and "various items broken".
Photos of Payne's hotel room, released by Buenos Aires police, showed a smashed television.
They added that a whiskey bottle, lighter and cellphone were retrieved from the internal courtyard where Payne's body was found.
The Argentine public prosecutor's office said that the series of traumatic injuries and internal bleeding that Payne suffered from his three-story fall were potentially fatal.
But the statement noted that the exact cause of Payne's death remained under investigation.
Medical examiners said the autopsy results showed 25 injuries to various parts of Payne's body, including his skull, limbs and abdomen. The lack of defensive injuries on Payne's hands indicated that "he did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and that he could have fallen into a state of semi- or total unconsciousness", according to the public prosecutor.
On Wednesday, police had said Payne "had jumped from the balcony of his room", without elaborating on how they came to that conclusion or whether the jump was intentional.
Police said they had rushed to the hotel in response to an emergency call just after 5pm on Wednesday (6am on Thursday AEDT) that had warned of an "aggressive man who could be under the influence of drugs or alcohol".
A hotel manager can be heard on a 911 call recording obtained by The Associated Press saying the hotel has "a guest who is overwhelmed with drugs and alcohol".
"He's destroying the entire room and, well, we need you to send someone, please," they say.
Hotel staff could not enter the room, where the guest had been staying "for two or three days", the manager said on the call.
The manager's voice becomes more anxious as the call goes on, noting the room has a balcony.
Payne was known as the tousle-headed, sensible one of the quintet that went from a TV talent show to a pop phenomenon with a huge international following of swooning fans.
In recent years, he had acknowledged struggling with alcoholism, saying in a YouTube video posted in July 2023 that he had been sober for six months after receiving treatment.
"We are heartbroken. Liam will forever live in our hearts and we'll remember him for his kind, funny and brave soul," his family said in a statement through Payne's representative.
"We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time."
If you or someone you know is in need of support contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue. In the event of an emergency dial Triple Zero (000).
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– With CNN, Associated Press
