Presley Gerber, the 27-year-old son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, died at a rehabilitation facility in Santa Monica on September 20, with newly released details shedding light on his final days and the emergency response.
Santa Monica police are investigating the death as a suspected overdose, but authorities have not established that an overdose was the official cause of death. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said the cause and manner of death have been deferred while additional testing or studies are conducted.
Gerber had entered treatment shortly before his death
According to the Los Angeles Times , Gerber checked into the rehabilitation facility at about 10 pm on Saturday, September 19, only hours before his death the following morning. The Times reported that he was staying at Resolutions Living, a rehabilitation home in Santa Monica.
Page Six, citing a source close to Gerber, reported that he had been struggling in the weeks leading up to his death and that people around him noticed a change in his energy and behaviour.
The source told the outlet that Gerber “seemed a little off” and was struggling with addiction and depression. The same source said he entered treatment because he knew he needed help and wanted to break free from his addictions.
911 dispatch mentioned cardiac arrest and overdose
New emergency-dispatch details have provided a clearer timeline of what happened on September 20. Santa Monica police said officers were dispatched at approximately 9:35 am after a report of a possible overdose at an address in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street. Officers found an adult male who was already deceased.
Page Six reported that dispatch audio included references to cardiac arrest, while another dispatch referred to an overdose. Gerber was pronounced dead at 9:45 am, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, roughly 10 minutes after the police response.
The dispatch information, however, describes what emergency responders were told and what they were responding to; it does not by itself establish Gerber's medical cause of death.
Police are investigating a suspected overdose
The Santa Monica Police Department said detectives are investigating Gerber's death as a suspected overdose.
Police have also said there is currently no indication of foul play. The department emphasized that the official cause and manner of death will be determined by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.
Gerber had spoken publicly about addiction and mental health
Gerber had previously been unusually open about his struggles with mental health and substance use. In a 2023 appearance on the Studio 22 podcast, he spoke about dealing with depression and said he hoped that sharing his experiences could help other people facing similar problems.
PEOPLE also reported that one of his final social-media posts documented his experience undergoing an ibogaine treatment, which he described as part of his efforts to address addiction. That post was published months before his death.
His sister, Kaia Gerber, had also spoken about her brother's struggles in an August interview with Vogue : "My parents for most of our lives were very, very private and didn't share anything - and now we have this absolute teacher, my brother, who says, 'I'm gonna be very human for everyone.' There's only so much you can hide from the world. And trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you're ashamed of them," reported BBC.
