On Monday, December 30, Maya Henry - Liam Payne's ex-fiancee - uploaded an Instagram post rounding up the year with snaps. The post, which contained pictures of her on lavish holidays and quality time spent with friends and family, was captioned: "bye 2024"
Henry, who is a Texan model, had become the target of online trolls at the time of Liam Payne's death as netizens accused her of being to blame for the Polaroid singer's death. Maya and Liam made their first public appearance as a couple in 2019. They became engaged soon afterward but broke off the engagement in 2021. Their relationship ended in 2022, per Daily Mail.
At the time of the One Direction member's death, a source close to the 25-year-old told the outlet: "Right now she is obviously in shock."
Days before Payne's death, Maya had accused him of obsessively contacting her friends and family, including her mother, Azteca Henry.
Five people are charged in connection with Liam Payne's death in Argentina
Maya Henry's 2024 roundup post comes after five people were charged in connection with Liam Payne's death in Argentina on Sunday, December 30. According to Daily Mail, four out of the five were staff at the CasaSur Hotel - where the Both Ways singer was staying in Argentina. All five of them have been summoned to appear in court.
Braian Paiz, a waiter from CasaSur, is one of them and has admitted to using drugs with Liam, including cocaine. He's currently charged with supplying narcotics for payment. Another hotel employee, Ezequiel Pereyra, faces similar charges. Both of them are in custody.
Esteban Grassi and Glinda Martin - the managers at CasaSur - have been charged with manslaughter.
The fifth suspect in the case is Payne's close friend, Rogelio 'Roger' Nores, who is being accused of negligent homicide, per the news outlet. Nores denies abandoning the singer before he died, claiming he left the hotel at least 40 minutes before Liam's fall.
While Rogelio is currently not believed to be in custody, he has reportedly been banned from leaving Argentina.
The investigation into Liam Payne's death continues to unravel two months after the Bedroom Floor singer fell off the balcony of his hotel room on October 16. Before his death, Payne was in the country on a holiday with his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy. However, Cassidy left Argentina to return to Florida two days before Liam's death.
Liam Payne is survived by his 3-year-old son, Bear Payne, whom he shared with his ex-girlfriend, Cheryl Cole.
Henry published a book inspired by true events earlier in 2024
Before Payne's death, Maya Henry had published a novel titled Looking Forward, which, per the author, is categorized as a work of fiction inspired by true events. In the novel, Henry's portrayal of Oliver - with whom the protagonist, Mallory Hunt, falls in love - has several similarities with Payne. In the story, Oliver is a member of a popular boy band called 5Forward, a band that was formed after auditions for a TV show called Star Power.
Per LA Times, a part of the book shows Oliver threatening to kill himself by jumping off a balcony. The extract from Henry's book reads:
"He stands outside, in the dark London night, sobbing and unsteady, the handrail only a few feet away. And below that is the cold hard pavement. I watch in horror as he sways a bit, unsteady on his feet, inching ever closer to the railing. He has to stop, I think. I have to stop him."
Maya Henry's novel was published on May 14, 2024, and has received 2.4 stars on GoodReads, with 180 ratings and 666 reviews.