This article was originally published on Crafting Your Home. A human contributor also wrote and edited the post.
The post Cindy Crawford Is “Completely in Shock” Over Presley Gerber’s Death, Source Says, as Medical Examiner Confirms Time of Death first appeared on Crafting Your Home
Cindy Crawford is grieving in the days since her son Presley Gerber’s death, and a source close to the family has now described what those days have looked like inside the home.
“Cindy is completely in shock over Presley’s devastating death,” a source close to Crawford told People. “She is heartbroken.” Presley, whose father is Crawford’s husband, businessman Rande Gerber, died on September 20 at age 27.
A separate source close to his sister, Kaia Gerber, 25, had already told People that the family is “in total shock” following his death. Together the two accounts give the fullest picture yet of how Crawford, Rande and Kaia are processing the loss. Those quotes arrived alongside new official detail on when and how Presley died.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office confirmed in a statement to People that Presley was pronounced dead at 9:45 a.m. on September 20 by responding paramedics, and that the Santa Monica Police Department is the investigating law enforcement agency.
NBC News reported additional detail from a law enforcement source, who said Presley had checked into Resolutions Living of Santa Monica at 10 p.m. the night before he died.
This article separates that official timeline from the family’s private grief, and it says plainly what has and has not been confirmed.
What the Medical Examiner and Police Have Confirmed
The medical examiner’s office told People that Presley’s death remains under investigation and that “limited information” is currently available. In a statement, the office said, “The investigation is still ongoing, and there is limited information available. Death was pronounced at 09:45 hours on September 20, 2026, by responding paramedics. The Santa Monica Police Department is the investigating law enforcement agency.”
A short time later, the office issued a second statement saying it was in the early stages of the investigation, and that the cause and manner of death “have been deferred,” meaning additional testing or studies were requested before a final ruling could be made.
CNN reported that the Santa Monica Police Department responded to a location on Berkeley Street at 9:35 a.m. local time on Sunday after receiving a report of a possible overdose, and that officers found an adult male who was deceased, whom the medical examiner’s office later identified as Gerber.
In its news release, the department said there was “no indication of foul play.” People reported that Santa Monica police records show the call was for a possible overdose, and that the dispatch call also noted cardiac arrest.
NBC News added a new and specific detail from a law enforcement source, who said Gerber checked into Resolutions Living of Santa Monica at 10 p.m. the night before his body was found.
According to that source, he was found in the room where he had been sleeping, and he had likely been dead for some time before he was discovered.
The source described him as “cold to the touch” when he was found. Resolutions Living did not immediately respond to NBC News’s request for comment, so this article does not independently confirm the facility’s account of his stay.
Cindy Crawford’s Private Grief, According to Sources
The two sources describing the family’s reaction, one close to Crawford and one close to Kaia, both used the word “shock.” The source close to Crawford went further, calling Presley’s death “devastating” and saying simply that his mother “is heartbroken.”
Neither Crawford, Rande Gerber, nor Kaia has issued a personal public statement in their own words about Presley’s death as of this writing.
The family’s only on-the-record public response has come through a spokesperson, who told outlets including CNN and TMZ that Presley had passed away and asked for privacy during what was described as a very difficult and painful time.
That reliance on secondhand sourcing is worth addressing directly. Both quotes attributed to Crawford’s state of mind come from unnamed sources speaking to People, not from Crawford herself, and this article treats them as reported characterizations rather than her own words.
If Crawford or Rande Gerber issue a personal statement, it would represent a more direct account of how the family is coping, and would supersede what sources have described on their behalf.
Kaia Gerber’s own words on her brother’s struggles, however, are on the record from before his death. In an interview with Vogue last month, she spoke about her brother’s history with addiction.
“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,” she said, describing how his openness had changed the family’s approach to talking about hard things.
That interview has taken on new weight in the days since his death, since it is one of the only extended, on-the-record accounts from inside the family about what Presley had been going through.
A Family That Has Faced Loss Before
Crawford has spoken in the past about an earlier loss that shaped how she thinks about grief. Her younger brother, Jeff, died of leukemia when she was a teenager, and she has described the experience as formative for how her family, and later her own children, have processed death.
She has said that after Jeff’s death, her mother made a conscious decision to keep pushing forward for her three surviving children, and that Crawford only fully understood that choice after having children of her own.
“I remember her saying, ‘Well, I had three other kids looking at me like to lead them through this,’” Crawford has said of her mother. “And I think because of us, she kind of got out of bed.”
Crawford has also said that history informs conversations with Presley and Kaia. She has said both of her children have lost friends of their own, in car accidents and to fentanyl, and that they have come to her asking what to say to others facing loss.
“We don’t talk about death in our culture, and we don’t talk about what you say to someone when they lose someone,” she has said.
Those past reflections do not describe her current state of mind following Presley’s death, but they offer context for a family that has publicly discussed how it processes grief before this loss.
The investigation into Presley Gerber’s death remains open, and the medical examiner’s office has said a final cause and manner of death are still pending further testing.
What is confirmed is that he died at 9:45 a.m. on September 20, that Santa Monica police are investigating the death as a suspected overdose with no indication of foul play, and that those closest to him, according to sources who spoke with People, are still absorbing the loss.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, the SAMHSA helpline is 1-800-662-HELP, and anyone facing mental health challenges or emotional distress can call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, 24/7.
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