Presley Gerber, the 27-year-old son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and entrepreneur Rande Gerber, died of a suspected overdose on Sept. 20 at Resolutions Living, a luxury sober-living residence in Santa Monica. The Santa Monica Police Department responded to the 1000 block of Berkeley Street at approximately 9:35 a.m. following a report of a possible overdose. Officers performed life-saving measures, but Gerber was pronounced dead at the scene. Police stated there is no indication of foul play.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has completed an autopsy but has deferred the official cause and manner of death pending additional testing, including toxicology. While the death is suspected to be an overdose, toxicology results have not yet established what substances, if any, were in Gerber’s system.
Concerns Over Admission Protocol
Questions have emerged regarding the circumstances of Gerber’s admission to the facility. According to reports from TMZ, Gerber arrived at Resolutions Living on the evening of Sept. 19 and appeared to be under the influence of a substance. Sources familiar with the situation claim that because the home is not a detox facility, staff should have refused admission and mandated that Gerber complete a medical detox program or visit an outpatient facility first.
Nick Matthews, a CEO in the rehab and sober living space, told “TMZ Live” that detox should precede admission to a sober-living home. Sources suggest that in a detox environment, patients are checked every 15 to 30 minutes, which would have allowed for a faster response when Gerber became unresponsive. Some sources believe Gerber would still be alive if staff had followed these industry protocols, suggesting that treatment centers may cut corners when high-profile celebrities or significant money are involved.
Licensing and Facility Status
The nature of the facility has also come under scrutiny. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) informed TMZ that it has no record of Resolutions Living operating as a licensed residential substance-use disorder treatment facility. The agency noted that the program operates as a recovery residence or sober-living environment, a designation that does not require a DHCS license and is not subject to the same state oversight as licensed residential treatment programs.
A neighbor told the Daily Mail that the owner has expanded the operation to include at least two large houses on the block, estimating there are at least seven beds in each house.
Background of Founder Dr. Reza Nabavi
The founder and clinical director of Resolutions Living, Dr. Reza Nabavi, has a criminal and regulatory history involving narcotics. According to official records reviewed by Page Six, Nabavi was arrested twice in 2002. In February 2002, Oakland Police found Nabavi, then 25, asleep in a car with a 15-year-old girl who was under the influence of methamphetamine. A search of the vehicle uncovered marijuana, methamphetamine, a handgun, ammunition, and a hunting knife.
Nabavi pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance in May 2002 and was sentenced to 36 months of probation. Less than a month later, he was arrested again for possessing narcotics and paraphernalia after allegedly agreeing to sell methamphetamine to an informant.
Although his psychological assistant registration was revoked in February 2006, the revocation was stayed, allowing him to continue under five years of probation.
Family Support and Personal Struggles
Presley Gerber reportedly struggled for years with mental health, panic attacks, and drug addiction. Sources with direct knowledge stated that a doctor had been administering ketamine to Gerber to treat his addiction.
Following the death, longtime family friend George Clooney and his wife, Amal Clooney, traveled to Los Angeles to support Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber. Clooney, who had a close bond with Presley and co-founded Casamigos tequila with Rande Gerber, was reportedly spotted arriving at the home of Kaia Gerber on Tuesday.
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