When news broke on Sunday, September 20, that Presley Gerber, the 27-year-old son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, died of a suspected overdose at a rehabilitation facility, there was an outpouring of sadness and sympathy. But for many people, it also raised a troubling question: How could someone overdose while in treatment, a place where, in theory, they’re supposed to be safe and shielded from the very substances they’re trying to escape?

For years, Gerber was open about his battle with mental health and substance abuse. “Having struggled with mental health, depression and some other things that come along with that, I think that whether I help one person or a hundred people get out of that place that I was in at one point in my life, that’s all I need to do,” he said on the Studio 22 podcast in 2023.


Just weeks before his death, his younger sister, model Kaia Gerber, praised her brother for sharing his addiction issues publicly. “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,” she said in an interview with Vogue.

Gerber’s death thus revealed a shocking possibility that someone seemingly seeking recovery could be at risk even while in treatment. So, how did this happen?

According to its website, Resolutions Living, the Santa Monica, California, facility where Gerber died, is less a clinical lockdown than a sober living community. In this group residence, people in recovery can spend time together, come and go freely, and get professional support as they gradually rebuild their lives and lean towards healthier choices.

“‘Rehab’ is a blanket term that can be misleading. People often assume it means a 24/7 monitored clinical lockdown, when that’s not always the case,” explains Carli Edling, a licensed clinical alcohol and drug counselor and the clinical director of Milestone Treatment Center. “A sober living facility is meant to help people slowly reintegrate into the real world, so there’s more access to outside influences like phones and money. It’s an important distinction to keep in mind when it comes to questioning how someone overdosed at a treatment center.”

Lauren, a woman in recovery who asked that her last name be withheld for privacy, has been through both inpatient programs and sober living facilities multiple times. In her experience, the initial detox and the first weeks and months of recovery are closely supervised so patients can focus solely on getting well. Most programs, she adds, even withhold cell phones and email access, and any contact with the outside world is carefully monitored. Once patients transfer into sober living, she says, the environment is far more lax.

“In sober living, you generally have to check in each morning, maybe do one AA or NA meeting with the house, and do your chores,” Lauren tells SheKnows. “Then you come and go as you please, for the most part. Some places will even give you an overnight pass. I’ve seen people text their dealers.”

Based on current reports, Gerber appears to have checked straight into the sober living program without first going through detox or a more structured inpatient program. He was also reportedly already under the influence when he arrived.

“It’s really sad,” Lauren says, “but if someone wants to get high, they will find a way to do it.”

With Gerber’s autopsy complete, the official cause of death is still pending.



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