Death of Presley Gerber, Cindy Crawford's son, sparks questions over drug supplier, LA luxury rehab center

Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times on Sep 23, 2026

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LOS ANGELES — Detectives are trying to trace back the supplier of the drugs that Cindy Crawford's son, Persley Gerber, fatally overdosed on in Santa Monica rehab last weekend, according to law enforcement sources.

Gerber, 27, died at a luxury rehab center in Santa Monica on Sunday.

The investigation

The Santa Monica Police Department said there is no indication of foul play at this time and that it is also investigating Gerber's apparent overdose.

The sources told the L.A. Times the investigation is in its early stages.

The Los Angeles County medical examiner's office conducted an autopsy Monday but deferred a cause and manner of death pending toxicology results for substances in Gerber's system and that is expected to take several weeks, if not months, according to the office.

The rehab center

Gerber had entered the Resolution Living facility in Santa Monica just hours before his death, police said.

According to Resolution Living's website, the house is a "Mental Health Recovery Residence." The website describes it as part of a program that includes partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient treatment for a myriad of mental health issues, including depression, trauma and addiction, and offers dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring disorders.

Santa Monica police received a call reporting a cardiac arrest and another call for an overdose at the center. Officers arrived at Resolutions Living, a $7.7 million, seven-bedroom mansion, at about 9:35 a.m. Sunday, a law enforcement source told the Times.

Resolutions Living did not return calls seeking comment.

What's next

It has become fairly common for police to now attempt to trace back the supplier of drugs in an overdose case.

Officials confirmed this week that Hayden Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl and other drugs, including a generic version of Xanax. Federal authorities probing her death are focusing their investigation in Los Angeles and are looking into whether the actor procured nonprescription pills from an area dealer. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and local investigators have questioned several people about the circumstances of her Aug. 16 death and have focused on her taking what was described as counterfeit pills before her demise.

The death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry sparked a sprawling drug investigation. Five people were charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine to Perry, who died from acute effects of the drug.

Little is known about the Santa Monica police probe into Gerber's death.

L.A. attorney Brian Claypool, who handles wrongful death litigation, said the autopsy and toxicology results "will be crucial in this tragic death to ascertain legal liability."

Attorney Glen Jonas said depending on what police find, the rehab center could face scrutiny. Both attorneys said it is likely police will look closely at staffing, how the emergency was handled and other issues.

There have been cases in the past where drugs have been delivered into rehab centers.

The family of a Riverside woman sued a sober living center after she was found dead of a drug overdose.

In 2022, Edwin Oliva, of Montebello, was sentenced to more 33 years in federal prison for providing a lethal dose of fentanyl. During the early hours of Feb. 28, 2019, Oliva gave a woman a line of drugs to snort and did not tell her the substance was fentanyl — a powerful synthetic opioid. Believing the substance to be cocaine, the victim ingested the drug, which resulted in a fatal overdose.

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