Liam Payne’s dad finally takes singer’s body home to UK after 3-week repatriation delay in Argentina

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA: Liam Payne’s father, Geoff Payne, has finally taken his son’s body back to the UK for burial, following a three-week delay after the tragic death of the One Direction star in Argentina.

Payne, 31, died on October 16 after a fatal fall from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.

The body was released to his family on November 6, according to Argentina’s public prosecutor, Andres Madrea.

Geoff Payne had arrived in Argentina on October 18, two days after his son's death, to collect his belongings and make arrangements for his remains to be flown back to the UK.  During his time in Argentina, Geoff Payne joined mourners who paid floral tributes to his late son.

Liam Payne's body finally released to his family

According to The Mirror, Liam Payne's funeral is expected to take place later this week. The singer’s body had been kept in Argentina for toxicology and laboratory tests before being released to his family on Wednesday. 

The post-mortem report, released last month, confirmed that Payne’s death was caused by multiple traumas and both internal and external hemorrhaging. Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No 16 is treating the case as an "inconclusive death".

In the past week, Liam’s body was moved from a Buenos Aires morgue to the historic British Cemetery in the northern part of the city.

According to the local daily La Nacion, Geoff Payne has now been informed that all necessary documents have been prepared so that he can go back to the UK with his son's body.

The daily wrote, "When Geoff Payne reached Argentina on October 18 he was told the repatriation process could take between four and five days, but because of the circumstances surrounding his son's death things took longer than expected."

Liam Payne's death investigation leads to raids in hotel workers and friend's houses

As Liam Payne’s body returns home to the UK, Argentinian police are reportedly conducting another series of raids in connection with the late singer’s death. Law enforcement sources in Buenos Aires revealed that raids took place on the night of Tuesday, November 5, targeting the homes of two hotel workers and a friend of Liam Payne. 

Officers also extended their search to the hotel lockers of the workers and reviewed security footage from the Casa Sur Palermo Hotel.

It is believed these workers had contact with Payne before his tragic death. One of Payne’s friends was also identified through text messages, and investigators are now looking into who may have supplied the singer with drugs. 

Additionally, a friend whom the police wanted to question was not present during the raid. This operation marks the second round of raids after a previous one at the hotel last month, during which electronic and paper records, as well as videos from the hotel’s underground area, were seized.