Liam Payne's Body Released to Family to Be Flown Back to U.K. 3 Weeks After Pop Star's Death: Prosecutor

Liam Payne's body has been returned to his family following his Oct. 16 death, Argentinian officials confirm.

The body of the One Direction star — who died last month following a fall from a third-floor balcony of a Buenos Aires hotel — has officially been released to his family to be flown back to the U.K., Argentina's National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office announced Thursday, Nov. 7 as part of a statement on the ongoing investigation into Payne's death.

"Following the required autopsy, all the necessary thanatological and laboratory studies were completed and concluded, and the complete relevant samples were ordered to be kept for any future comparison, in accordance with the protocols, instructions and opinions of the Forensic Medical Corps," the statement read.

"Following this and with the favorable opinion of the prosecution, the Criminal and Correctional Court No. 34, in charge of Judge Laura Graciela Bruniard, authorized the delivery of the body to the father of the deceased, Geoff Payne, which was carried out last weekend. The entire procedure was reported in person to the musician's father."

The return of Payne's body had been pending toxicology and laboratory tests. The preliminary autopsy report found that he died from multiple injuries and "internal and external" hemorrhages, the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office previously confirmed to PEOPLE.

Sources also confirmed to ABC News at the time that a partial autopsy revealed that Payne "had multiple substances in his system" when he fell from his balcony at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel and died at age 31. 

The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office announced on Nov. 7 that three people have since been arrested and charged with abandonment of a person followed by death as well as supply and facilitation of narcotics. The suspects have not been named by authorities.

Per a release shared on Thursday, “Payne was not fully conscious or was experiencing a state of noticeable decrease or loss of consciousness at the time of the fall.” Authorities conducted nine raids this week. Those arrested include "the person who accompanied the artist on a daily basis during his stay in the city of Buenos Aires," a hotel employee accused of supplying Payne with cocaine, and an alleged "drug supplier."

Prosecutors also said that "self-harm of any kind and/or physical intervention by third parties were ruled out" as contributing factors in his death. 

In Payne's toxicology report, Argentinian authorities revealed that moments before his death and in the period of at least his last 72 hours, the singer had traces of "polydrug use of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his body."

Following the pop star's death, the National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor's Office No. 14 shared in a release that Payne's father Geoff Payne had been cooperating with authorities amid the investigation into the circumstances. Geoff arrived at the Argentine hotel where Liam fell to his death two days after the incident on Oct. 18, when he greeted fans outside amid an ongoing memorial for his son.

Since Payne's death, multiple projects have remained up in the air — including a posthumous collaborative single from Sam Pounds that was ultimately canceled out of respect for the singer's family, and Netflix’s upcoming music competition series Building the Band, which starred Payne alongside Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Rowland and AJ McLean. A source told PEOPLE back in October that it was too soon to make any decisions regarding the future of the series.

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Payne's One Direction bandmates Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson have all paid tribute to their late friend in individual Instagram posts and via a group statement shared last month.

Tomlinson remembered Payne as his "brother," Styles called him "warm, supportive, and incredibly loving," Horan called Payne "the brightest in every room" and Malik wrote that he "loved and respected" Payne. In a group statement released last month, Payne's One Direction bandmates wrote that they were "completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing."

"In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly," they statement read.

It ended: "The memories we shared with him will be treasured forever. For now, our thoughts are with his family, his friends, and the fans who loved him alongside us. We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam."

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