Investigators in Argentina are seeking to establish who provided the drugs that they believe former One Direction star Liam Payne consumed before he plunged to his death at the CasaSur hotel in Palermo on Wednesday afternoon.

The prosecutor investigating the pop star’s death has released his body to his family, who are currently completing the paperwork for his remains to be repatriated, a source with the Buenos Aires City police told the Herald. 

Final results from the autopsy on Payne’s body are not yet available. However, prosecutors said on Thursday that “everything indicates that the musician was on his own when the fall happened, and experiencing some form of breakdown as a product of substance abuse.” 

Payne’s former girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, broke her silence on Friday with a message posted in an Instagram story. “I have been at a complete loss,” she wrote. “Nothing about the past few days have felt real […] Liam, my angel. You are everything. I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam.”

She also thanked her followers for their “kind words and love” and asked to be allowed to process the events in private.

It remains unclear how, exactly, Payne died. The authorities are investigating possibilities including suicide and an accidental fall, potentially while unconscious.

Leaked photos of Payne’s hotel room showed a table covered in pieces of tin foil, cling film, a green cigarette lighter, a tea light, and what appears to be a white powder. On the table were black marks that looked like burns. The substances were seized for testing. Argentina’s public prosecutor’s office declined to comment further on Friday.

Payne died after falling from a third-floor balcony into the hotel’s patio. He was 31. The singer had been in Argentina for former bandmate Niall Horan’s show. He came to Argentina with Cassidy, but she left Argentina on Monday. 

Prosecutors have been interviewing two women who were with Payne in his room in the hours before he died. The Herald revealed exclusively on Thursday that fellow guests at the hotel saw an “upset, agitated” Payne in the hotel lobby, arguing with a woman who appeared to be local and telling her: “I’ll give you US$20,000 dollars just because I can. I have US$55 million and I like to help people.”

Just before he died, the receptionist at his hotel had called the emergency services to say that he was “out of it because of drugs and alcohol” and “breaking everything in the room.” He begged them to come quickly and said he was worried that Payne might do something that would endanger his life. 

In his hotel room, police found a lighter, a laptop, and several blister packs of medicines, including the tranquilizer clonazepam, energy pills, and over-the-counter medicines.

Clonazepam is a commonly prescribed benzodiazepine used to treat mental health conditions including anxiety, bipolar mania, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is contraindicated for patients experiencing current difficulties with alcohol and substance abuse.

One Direction mourn Liam Payne

Payne’s former One Direction bandmates said they were “completely devastated” by Liam’s death in a statement on Friday. 

“In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly. The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever,” Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Zayn Malik wrote in a joint statement.

They also commented individually. 

“Liam had an energy for life and a passion for work that was infectious. He was the brightest in every room and always made everyone feel happy and secure,” wrote Horan, who saw Payne in Buenos Aires just days before he died. “I feel so fortunate that I got to see him recently. I sadly didn’t know that after saying goodbye and hugging him that evening, I would be saying goodbye forever.”

Styles described Payne as “warm, supportive, and incredibly loving,” adding that he “lived wide open, with his heart on his sleeve, he had an energy for life that was infectious.”

Tomlinson said he believed that Payne was “the most vital part of One Direction,” and revealed that the two “often spoke of getting back in the studio together to try and recreate the writing chemistry we had built up in the band.” 

One Direction formed after meeting in the British reality TV show, X Factor, in 2010. They went on to sell tens of millions of records, before going on indefinite hiatus in 2016. “Reminiscing about all the thousands of amazing memories we had together is a luxury I thought I’d have with you for life,” Tomlinson added.

Malik thanked Payne for supporting him “through some of the most difficult times” in his life.

“Even though you were younger than me you were always more sensible than me, you were headstrong, opinionated, and gave no ****s about telling people when they were wrong. Even though we butted heads because of this a few times, I always secretly respected you for it,” he wrote.

“I lost a brother when you left us,” he added.