Liam Payne's 'erratic behavior' intensified after his girlfriend left Argentina
What's the story
Former One Direction member, Liam Payne, tragically died after falling from a third-floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 16.
A partial autopsy revealed the 31-year-old singer had "multiple substances in his system" when he fell to his death.
Now, a source close to Payne's girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, told PEOPLE that the singer's behavior grew more erratic after she cut their vacation short.
Behavior shift
Payne's behavior reportedly changed after girlfriend's departure
"Like you could see from the Snapchat videos, he was a different person around her," the insider told the portal of the One Direction alum.
Cassidy had been supporting Payne through his recent legal troubles with ex-fiancee Maya Henry.
A week before his death, Henry also issued a cease-and-desist order to Payne after she claimed he repeatedly contacted her.
Events
Cassidy shared TikTok documenting her departure
Cassidy shared a video on TikTok documenting her departure after a two-week stay with Payne in Argentina. Just hours before his passing, Payne had posted a photo on Snapchat alongside Cassidy.
Payne's last social media upload showed him relishing a late breakfast in his hotel room. He revealed that he and Cassidy had been "waking up at 1:00pm every day" and were thinking of Forrest Gump as a Halloween costume.
Investigation details
Payne's hotel room found in disarray, drug paraphernalia discovered
Meanwhile, the Buenos Aires Police found Payne's hotel room in "total disorder" after his death.
The room had the prescription drug clonazepam (brand name: Klonopin), energy supplements, and other OTC drugs strewn across the room.
An improvised aluminum pipe used for drug ingestion was also recovered from the room.
A whiskey bottle, lighter, and cell phone were later recovered from the hotel's internal courtyard where Payne's body was found after his fall.
Autopsy findings
Payne's cause of death confirmed as multiple injuries
A preliminary autopsy report confirmed that Payne died from multiple injuries and internal and external hemorrhages.
The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office said that 25 injuries in the autopsy were compatible with those caused by a fall from a height.
They explained that the head injuries were sufficient to cause death, while internal and external hemorrhages of the skull, thorax, abdomen, and limbs contributed to his demise.