A little over a week after the tragic death of One Direction singer Liam Payne in Buenos Aires, police reportedly “raided” the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.
Liam, 31, fell to his death from a third-floor balcony at the hotel, and news of his passing spread across the world within the first hour or two.
In the chaotic wake of the shocking incident, scattered reports began to spread in the media — claims that Liam had specific substances in his system circulated, and bystanders stepped forward with accounts of alleged interactions with the star in his final hours.
On Thursday (October 24), local news source La Nación reported that “city police” in Buenos Aires had “raided” the hotel, a claim quickly picked up and repeated by myriad news outlets.
What’s The Difference Between ‘A Raid’ And ‘A Search’?:
In the media, particularly in high-profile investigations like the ongoing one into Liam Payne’s death, in-person investigations are often described as “a raid.”
Those terms – “raid” and “search” – are
not entirely interchangeable
, though. A “raid” generally refers to instances where authorities forcibly enter premises to search them, whereas a “search” is understood to be either voluntary in nature, or due to the execution of a search warrant with little to no resistance from the party being searched.
Based on photographs of the “raid,” it appears to in fact have been a “search,” and there is no indication that the CasaSur Palermo Hotel was uncooperative with authorities in Buenos Aires, nor that police had to force any portion of their on-site investigation.
Several American news outlets went on to obtain information about the CasaSur Palermo “raid” from unnamed sources close to the investigation.
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Police In Buenos Aires Carried Out A Search
One factor creating confusion among English-language news sources in the United States and United Kingdom is an inherent language barrier, as Liam’s death occurred in Argentina.
Consequently, primary source reporting tends to be in Spanish, and automatic translation is approximate at best.
On October 24, La Nación covered the hotel search, and a roughly translated section of their coverage reported:
“‘Personnel from the Special Investigations Division and the Special Technological Investigations Division were sent this afternoon to the CasaSur Hotel in Palermo where the singer Liam Payne lost his life last week to carry out a raid ordered by the Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 14 in charge of Andrés Madrea to [locate and secure items] of interest [to] the investigation,’ [City Police sources] told LA NACION[.]”
Andrés Madrea is the lead prosecutor on the investigation.
La Nación noted that Liam’s father, Geoff Payne, was in Buenos Aires and pledged to assist in the investigation.
Contrary to reports about substances in Liam’s system, La Nación further indicated that “toxicological and histopathological studies [done as part of an] autopsy have not yet been completed.”
Liam’s body cannot not yet be repatriated until that portion of the investigation is complete.
US Magazine obtained photographs from the “raid,” one of which depicted officers standing at a check-in desk.
Their coverage was nearly identical to that of La Nación, and it indicated police sought CCTV footage, general hotel records, and “documentation.”
Liam Payne
- Birthname
- Liam James Payne
- Birthdate
- August 29, 1993
- Birthplace
- Wolverhampton, West Midlands
- Members
- Children: Bear Payne (shared with Cheryl Cole)
- Deathdate
- October 16, 2024
- Height
- 5’10”
- @LiamPayn
- @liampayne
- Siblings
- Nicola Payne and Ruth Gibbins
- Parents
- Karen and Geoff Payne
- Profession
- Reality TV Star
- Net worth
- $70,000,000
- Professions
- Musician
- Source of Wealth
- Music career and various business ventures
- Nationality
- British
