Presley Gerber dies of suspected overdose at Santa Monica rehab, drug supplier probe launched
Cindy Crawford's son Presley Gerber, 27, died at a luxury Santa Monica rehab centre on Sunday. Detectives are tracing the drug supplier while toxicology results are pending.
Probe launched after Presley Gerber's fatal overdose at Santa Monica rehab facility
Detectives are working to identify the supplier of drugs that Presley Gerber, 27, fatally overdosed on at a luxury rehab centre in Santa Monica last Sunday, law enforcement sources told latimes.com.
Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford, had entered the Resolution Living facility in Santa Monica just hours before his death. Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to two calls at the site — one reporting a cardiac arrest, another an overdose — arriving at approximately 9:35 a.m. at the property, described as a $7.7-million, seven-bedroom mansion.
Police said there is no indication of foul play at this time. The investigation, sources noted, remains in its early stages.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's office conducted an autopsy on Monday but deferred a cause and manner of death pending toxicology results, a process expected to take several weeks or possibly months.
Resolution Living's website describes the facility as a "Mental Health Recovery Residence" offering partial hospitalisation and intensive outpatient treatment for conditions including depression, trauma and addiction, as well as dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring disorders. The centre did not respond to requests for comment.
Legal scrutiny of the rehab centre
L.A. attorney Brian Claypool, who specialises in wrongful death litigation, told the Times that the autopsy and toxicology results "will be crucial in this tragic death to ascertain legal liability." Attorney Glen Jonas added that depending on what investigators find, the rehab centre could face scrutiny over staffing, how the emergency was handled, and related operational issues.
Both attorneys noted that cases involving drugs being delivered into rehab or sober living facilities are not without precedent. The family of a Riverside woman previously sued a sober living centre after she was found dead of a drug overdose.
Broader pattern of post-overdose drug supply investigations
Tracing the source of drugs in overdose cases has become increasingly standard practice for law enforcement. Officials confirmed this week that actress Hayden Panettiere died from the toxic effects of fentanyl and other drugs, including a generic form of Xanax. Federal authorities investigating her death, which occurred on 16 August, are focusing their inquiry in Los Angeles, examining whether she obtained counterfeit pills from a local dealer. Drug Enforcement Administration agents have questioned several individuals in connection with the case.
The 2023 death of Matthew Perry, star of the television series "Friends," also triggered a wide-ranging drug investigation. Five people were subsequently charged with conspiracy to distribute ketamine to Perry, who died from the acute effects of the drug.
In a separate case, Edwin Oliva of Montebello was sentenced in 2022 to more than 33 years in federal prison for supplying a lethal dose of fentanyl. During the early hours of 28 February 2019, Oliva provided a woman with a line of drugs to snort without disclosing that the substance was fentanyl — a potent synthetic opioid. The victim, believing the substance to be cocaine, ingested it and died of a fatal overdose.
Toxicology results in the Gerber case are expected to be a key determinant in any further legal or criminal proceedings.
Source: Google News MT