A 911 call from the Los Angeles rehab facility where Presley Gerber died reveals the 27-year-old went into cardiac arrest before his suspected overdose, with his condition worsening in a matter of minutes.
Audio obtained by the Daily Mail captures an automated voice citing "cardiac arrest" followed by "overdose." Emergency services were first contacted at 9:35 a.m. on Sunday, September 20, but the priority was upgraded to an overdose just three minutes later, and upgraded again at 9:40 a.m.
The dispatch recording emerges as sources close to the model told TMZ on Tuesday that a physician had been prescribing him ketamine, despite knowing his past problems with the drug. Ketamine can be used to treat drug addiction, although the Food and Drug Administration has not approved it for that purpose.
Presley's close friends are reportedly angry that a doctor prescribed the dissociative anesthetic while knowing it was a regular problem for him. Representatives for the Gerber family have not yet responded to requests for comment.
Police investigation
Presley, the eldest child and only son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and entrepreneur Rande Gerber, died at the scene following a years-long struggle with drugs, panic attacks and his mental health.
He had been staying with roommates in a separate house on the grounds of the luxury rehab, having only checked into the facility on Saturday night, hours before his death, according to TMZ.
A Santa Monica Police Department spokesperson confirmed on Monday that emergency services were called to the facility on Sunday morning.
"On September 20, 2026, at approximately 9.35am, Santa Monica Police Department officers responded to a report of a possible overdose in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street," the statement read. "Upon arrival, officers located an adult male who was deceased."
The force added: "SMPD detectives are investigating the death as a suspected overdose. At this time, there is no indication of foul play. The investigation remains ongoing."
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has not yet determined an official cause of death, but an autopsy was completed by Monday morning and Presley's body was ready for release.
Mexican clinic treatment
The model, who began his career at the age of 15 and featured in campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana and Calvin Klein, had been open about his decade-long struggle with substance abuse and depression.
He was signed to IMG models and appeared in a 2018 Pepsi ad with his mother, but also struggled with his mental health at a young age and was arrested for driving under the influence in 2019.
Earlier this year, he travelled to the Beond Ibogaine clinic in Cancun, Mexico, for a "Pre-ibogaine flood dose", a single, high-dose administration of the naturally occurring psychoactive substance. Treatment at the facility starts at $12,500 for a ten-day programme.
Ibogaine is derived from an African shrub and is reported to help with withdrawal symptoms, with a high dose designed to induce a profound "reset." It is a Schedule I controlled substance in the US, but is legal or permitted on prescription in countries such as Canada and Brazil.
In a video caption posted in March, Presley admitted he was "absolutely terrified", adding: "My mantras were love yourself and lis gotta be the last time for this reason. letting go of control didn't come easy, but I trusted there was something bigger than me guiding it."
"I knew why i was there. I faced what I had been running from, and somewhere in all of it, i started finding my way back to myself... We shall see... Praying it's the last time I have to come back," he wrote.
He added: "Next time I'd like to choose And absolutely can't forget the incredible caring kind and on-their-s*** team. Helps a lot haha. And I made some dope ass friends there #iboga #ibogaine #rewireyourbrain #loveyourself #mentalhealth."
Beond Ibogaine replied to his post: "Thank you for sharing this so openly. We know how much courage that moment takes, and we're really proud of you for facing it with so much honesty and heart. It was an honor to support you."
Presley's parents and his 25-year-old sister, model Kaia Gerber, also publicly praised his courage. "You are a warrior! Walked thru the fire to find yourself! So proud!" Crawford commented, while Kaia added: "That's my brother I am so damn proud."
Rande Gerber wrote: "I'm so proud of you and your courage. Facing what's hard takes real strength and watching you find your way back to yourself is everything. I love you so much."
According to Beond Ibogaine's website, ingesting a large dose of the root bark induces a "temporary psychedelic experience that can last several hours, normally with no significant side-effects."
The clinic states: "For hundreds of years, indigenous African peoples... have ingested large doses of Ibogaine in its raw root bark form for its spiritual and healing properties. Over the past 30 years, Ibogaine has been administered in various clinics around the world for medical treatment purposes, most often to treat drug dependence."
Despite its US ban, public figures including Khloe Kardashian's ex-husband Lamar Odom and singer Melissa Etheridge, who lost her 21-year-old son Beckett to a fentanyl overdose in 2020, have endorsed its benefits.
Mental health struggles
In November last year, Presley revealed he had taken a step back from social media to "take care of my own mental health for a bit."
A month later, he started sharing "Mental Health Mondays" videos on Instagram, opening up about experiencing "really, really bad" panic attacks and listing the medication he took for night terrors.
"I feel like honesty is the best policy," he said in one candid video, adding that his medication use was "fluctuating up and down depending on what's been going on in my life."
"Unfortunately, I've had a lot of loss in many different forms recently, so that is not an excuse, but it's the reason why I am where I'm at now," he shared, without going into further detail.
In a bleak admission, Presley confessed he no longer knew precisely how much of one medication he had been taking, acknowledging that navigating advice from medical professionals was frightening.
He added that "doctors say a lot of different things so it's kind of scary. But hopefully between my research and their research and the world and God, we can finally figure this out."
His death comes just weeks after Kaia Gerber told Vogue about the enormous toll his struggles had taken on their family, admitting the turmoil had "kind of leveled everyone."
However, she praised her brother's willingness to strip away the secrecy surrounding his addiction, calling it refreshing compared to the intensely private way their parents had traditionally handled family life.
"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.
"And trying to put a lid on something just makes the person feel like you're ashamed of them."
