Police search homes of employees of hotel where Liam Payne died

Police search homes of employees of hotel where Liam Payne died
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV & DIRECTV NOW

ABC News has confirmed that two employees of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires, where Liam Payne died last month, had their homes searched by police and their cell phones confiscated.

The searches came as police look for the drug dealer they believe is connected to the case. A friend of Liam’s also had their home raided.

The former One Direction star died after falling from his third-floor balcony at the hotel on Oct. 16. He was 31. A toxicology report revealed that multiple substances were found in his system, including “pink cocaine,” a popular but potentially dangerous party drug, as well as benzodiazepine, a class of depressant drugs that includes Xanax and Valium, and crack.

An improvised aluminum foil pipe for ingesting drugs was also found in his hotel room.

Liam’s body is reportedly being flown back to the U.K.; his funeral is expected to take place in his home town of Wolverhampton.

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