Major Liam Payne death update as police 'detain three people' after several raids

Three people have reportedly been detained following the death of One Direction star Liam Payne after he fell to his death in Argentina aged 31 last month

Three people have been arrested in connection to Liam Payne's death, with the National Prosecutor's Office for Criminal and Correctional Matter issuing a lengthy statement on Thursday.

Nearly a month on from the One Direction star's death and investigators are said to have detained three people of interest. Liam fell to his death from a third floor balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on October 16.

Now, according to ABC World News, two hotel workers are among three detained in the investigation. "Police detained two hotel workers accused of supplying the drugs,” David Muir told the outlet, citing authorities before adding: “and raided the home of a friend, also detained.”

According to TMZ, law enforcement sources in the Argentinian capital told the outlet that raids were conducted on Tuesday night of two hotel workers and a friend of the singer's. It added that officers also searched the hotel lockers of the workers and reviewed security footage from the hotel CasaSur Palermo.

It's understood the 'friend' officers were looking to speak with wasn't present during the raid. It's reported there have been a total of nine raids to date. La Nacion reports that according to sources involved in the investigation, eight of the nine homes raided are related to the three people being investigated.

Investigators were also said to be looking into a Dove soap box that was found at the scene of the star's death. Officials are allegedly looking into the possibility that hotel employees smuggled drugs in the box to give them to the Teardrops singer.

A source claiming to be a close friend of star told the Daily Mail: "There were two guys at the hotel that were giving Liam drugs. They sent taxis out to collect packages for him."

A post-mortem examination following the singer's death determined the cause of death was due to head injuries he sustained during the fall. According to Argentine outlets, he had traces of cocaine in his body at the time of his death.

Respected news portal Infobae said materials extracted from Liam's body in an autopsy following his death had “determined the presence of the class-A drug.”

Sources close to Liam's family have claimed there will be a "lavish service of remembrance" for the star, with the event anticipated to take place at a grand cathedral.

The service will give family, friends, and millions of fans a moment to say goodbye to the beloved star. While it remains unclear whether his former bandmates will be in attendance, a source told MailOnline: "Liam will have a very big send-off, quite probably at a large cathedral somewhere close to his heart.

"Liam was so loved by so many people, there will obviously be enormous demand and so the service will necessarily be a huge affair."

A petition set up in the wake of the singer's death has amassed an impressive amount of signatures as thousands call for change as tribute to him. Over 134,000 people have signed the online petition, which was set up by a fan of the pop star after he plunged to his death to call for new legislation to be made that would see artists in the entertainment industry given more protection, help and support for their mental health.

The Change.org petition claims that people working in the business should receive mental health check-ups, rest periods and other support offerings from mental health professionals. It also stated that Liam worked in an industry that "let him down".

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