Officials say recently released surveillance video from the Casasul Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires shows Liam Payne interacting with a hotel employee who was arrested in connection with his death.
The male employee is believed to have delivered drugs to the former One Direction star shortly before his death. Officials said the brief exchange was captured on surveillance video. TMZ. A video clip shared by the outlet on Nov. 14 shows a man believed to be Payne exiting a hotel basement elevator and briefly talking with another man. According to hotel officials, the staff member who shook hands and spoke with Payne was Ezequiel David Pereira, who worked as a bellhop. According to TMZ, police suspect Pereira provided the late star with drugs in a soap box.
According to TMZ, police said only hotel employees had access to the soup supply.
According to the media, the identity of the staff member seen in the video has not been officially confirmed at this time. Police have reportedly obtained the footage.
The video shows the employee stacking chairs with other employees in the hotel’s basement, then the elevator door opens to reveal a man believed to be Payne. The two conversed for a moment before clapping each other’s hands. The employee then left through the doorway.
BERLIN, GERMANY – FEBRUARY 17: Liam Payne performs on stage at the 2020 Laureus World Sports Awards at the Verti Music Hall on February 17, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Lenz/Getty Images, Laureus)
According to TMZ, the timestamp on the surveillance video was 2:04 p.m., about three hours before Payne fell to her death from the third-floor balcony of her hotel suite.
The friendliness and casual demeanor between the employee and the man believed to be Payne seemed to suggest that they knew each other well.
Sources said toxicology showed pink cocaine, crack, ketamine and other drugs in Payne’s system at the time of his death. According to TMZ, prosecutors have since determined that Payne’s death was an accident and not a suicide. (Related: Liam Payne’s friend reportedly faces charges over death)
LONDON, UK – MARCH 6: Liam Payne performs at WE Day UK 2019 held at the SSE Arena on March 6, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by John Phillips/Getty Images)
Police took Pereira and two others into custody in connection with Payne’s death. According to TMZ, one of them is an alleged drug dealer and the other is a friend who allegedly left Payne alone. Police said the investigation into Payne’s death included more than 800 hours of hotel surveillance footage.
