By Almudena Calatrava | Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES – Three people have been charged in connection with the death of Liam Payne, a former member of the musical group One Direction who died after falling from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires last month, Argentine prosecutors said on Thursday.

Prosecutor Andrés Madrea accused the three suspects, whose identities were not revealed, of Crimes of “abandonment of person followed by death” and “supplying and facilitating the use of narcotics,” prosecutors said. Madrea also requested his arrest from Judge Laura Bruniard, who ruled that the three cannot leave the country.

payne He fell from the balcony of his room on the third floor of his hotel. in the exclusive neighborhood of Palermo, in the Argentine capital. His autopsy said he died from multiple injuries and external bleeding.

Prosecutors also said toxicology tests on Payne showed his body had “traces of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant” in the moments before his death.

Investigators said hours after Payne’s death that he was alone when he fell. But prosecutors said Thursday that one of the defendants was frequently with the singer during his stay in Buenos Aires. The second is a hotel employee who allegedly gave Payne cocaine during his stay between October 13 and 16. And the third is a drug dealer.

The charges in Payne’s case bear some resemblance to US cases arising from the death of “Friends” star Matthew Perry a year ago. The actor’s personal assistant and an old friend were among those tasked with helping him administer ketamine in the final months of his life, which led to his overdose of the anesthetic.

Three young men were similarly charged in the 2018 opioid overdose death of rapper Mac Miller.

Local authorities gathered, among other evidence, Payne’s cell phone records, forensic material and testimonies. They still have to unlock the singer’s personal computer – which is damaged – and other devices that were seized.

Payne’s autopsy showed that his injuries were not caused by self-harm or the physical intervention of others. The document also said he did not have the reflex to protect himself in the fall, suggesting he may have been unconscious.

Prosecutors in Argentina also ruled out the possibility that Payne committed suicide.