Liam Payne's body was returned to the UK on Wednesday, in preparation for his funeral. The former One Direction star's remains had been held in Argentina since his untimely death at the age of 31. The release of Payne's body was delayed until the completion of toxicology tests. Geoff Payne, accompanied by the singer's longtime bodyguard, brought the body home from the South American city where the incident occurred.

A local journalist reported that Payne's coffin was on a flight on Wednesday. Meanwhile, a security source confirmed to Page Six that Payne's body had been released from the judicial morgue earlier in the week. The artist will be laid to rest following a service expected to be attended by his One Direction bandmates: Liam Tomlinson, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, and Zayn Malik.

TMZ reported that Argentine police have raided the homes of two CasaSur Palermo hotel employees and the residence of one of Payne's friends as part of their investigation into who supplied the 31-year-old with drugs. Page Six revealed that Payne is believed to have befriended a member of the hotel's cleaning staff, who allegedly provided him with drugs during his stay. This led Payne's friend Roger Nores to alert the hotel's manager.

Payne died instantly from severe internal and external injuries after falling from his hotel balcony. Experts stated that the singer appeared unconscious as he fell to the courtyard below. Toxicology screening detected pink cocaine, a combination of methamphetamine, ketamine, and ecstasy, as well as benzodiazepine, crack, and cocaine in his bloodstream. A makeshift aluminum pipe for ingesting the substances was also found nearby. Medical officials confirmed that Payne had a cranial fracture and extremely serious injuries that led to his immediate death.

Witnesses told TMZ that Payne was acting erratically before his death, smashing his laptop in the hotel lobby and being carried back to his room before the fall. A day after his death, Payne's family released a statement saying, "Liam will forever live in our hearts, and we'll remember him for his kind, funny, and brave soul. We are supporting each other the best we can as a family and ask for privacy and space at this awful time."

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