Hotel Guest Heard ‘Violent Scream’ Before Liam Payne Fell from Balcony

New details have emerged about the day that One Direction’s Liam Payne fell to his death at a hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

A fellow guest tells People magazine there was a commotion in Payne’s room just before he died.

The source said, “I thought it was construction. I thought they were working on the room,” adding it sounded like “heavy lifting” or “banging.”

They also saw staff coming and going from Liam’s room and heard more noise around 4:30 p.m. Shortly after that, the guest recalled, “I heard a really loud, violent scream.”

Liam was found dead outside the hotel just after 5 p.m. The source said they “heard sirens,” and when they came downstairs the “street was full of cop cars.”

A preliminary autopsy report, obtained by Us Weekly, states Liam died from “internal and external” hemorrhages.

The translated document goes on, “No injuries were observed that would suggest the involvement of third parties. The prosecutor’s office indicated that, based on the position in which the body was found and the injuries from the fall, it is presumed that Payne did not adopt a reflexive posture to protect himself and may have fallen in a state of semi or total unconsciousness.”

Police sources told the site that the singer fell, but, “It is not known whether he jumped,” or if the fall was accidental.

Previously, Alberto Crescenti from Buenos Aires’ public emergency medical services system (SAME) spoke with the Argentine outlet TN. In a translated interview, Crescenti said they were waiting on the autopsy but that Payne had suffered “very serious injuries.” He added, “According to what the team saw, he had fractured the base of his skull.”

Payne was staying at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires at the time of his death. The BBC reports the hotel’s chief receptionist made an urgent call to 911 just before Liam fell.

According to a translated transcript published by BBC, the caller stated, “We’ve got a guest who has had too many drugs and alcohol and, well, when he is conscious, he is trashing the entire room and we need you to send someone, please.”

The chief receptionist continued, “We need you to send someone urgently because, well, I don’t know whether his life may be in danger, the guest’s life. He is in a room with a balcony…”

That call was made at approximately 5:01 p.m., around 10 minutes before Liam fell. 

The New York Post later obtained alleged photos of Liam’s chaotic hotel room. 

The shocking images show a smashed-up TV, foil, white powder, a lighter, and a half-filled champagne glass. In the bathtub, wax and crumpled foil are visible.

Sky News reports authorities also found the highly addictive drug clonazepam aka Klonopin in his room. It is used for things like epilepsy, panic disorders, and muscle spasms, and is known to be used recreationally.

The site adds that Liam’s body was found in the hotel courtyard next to “a bottle of whiskey, a lighter, and a cellphone.”

It is a tragic end to Payne’s life after he shot to fame in 2010 as part of “The X Factor’s” One Direction, alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. The group went on indefinite hiatus in 2016 after five studio albums and a raft of hit singles.

Liam is survived by his son Bear, 7.