The body of Liam Payne is finally being flown back to the UK, according to security sources in Argentina, where it has been held since his death.
The tragic One Direction singer — who tragically died following a fall from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on October 16 — will be taken home for burial by his devoted father Geoff Payne, who has been in the South American city along with the singer’s longtime bodyguard.
The release of his body has been delayed while toxicology tests were being completed.
As Page Six revealed, the tests took longer than expected as the drugs the 31-year-old singer is believed to have taken before his death may have been cut with unknown substances, complicating the results.
A security source confirmed Payne’s body has been released this week from the judicial morgue. A rep for the star was unavailable for further comment.
The singer, who had battled substance abuse, will now be laid to rest following a service which is expected to be attended by his One Direction bandmates: Liam Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik.
Meanwhile, TMZ on Wednesday reported police in Argentina have carried out a round of raids on the homes of two employees of the CasaSur hotel where Payne died, alongside one of his other “friends,” as part of their investigation to track down who exactly sold the singer the drugs.
As we revealed, Payne is believed to have befriended one of the cleaning staff at his hotel, who allegedly procured him drugs during his stay, prompting his worried friend Roger Nores to alert CasaSur’s manager.
Law enforcement sources told TMZ officers conducted the raids Tuesday night, while also searching the workers’ lockers and reviewing security footage from the hotel.
Investigators are believed to have identified Payne’s drug pusher “friend” with the help of text messages on his cell phone – but he was not home during the raid.
Initial autopsy results revealed that Payne had “pink cocaine” in his system, a dangerous cocktail that typically combines meth, ecstasy and ketamine, as well as other narcotics.