Presley Gerber, the 27-year-old son of Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, died of a suspected overdose on September 20, 2026, inside a Santa Monica sober living home. Following his death, public scrutiny turned to the facility’s founder, Reza Nabavi, whose past criminal arrests and psychology license hurdles have now emerged.
The Fatal Morning in Santa Monica and the Search for Answers
Authorities responded to a report of a possible overdose at the Resolutions Living property in Santa Monica around 9:35 a.m. local time on Sunday, September 20, 2026. Emergency personnel arrived to find Gerber unresponsive in a bedroom and pronounced him dead shortly afterward.
The Santa Monica Police Department launched an investigation, stating that there was no initial indication of foul play. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner completed an autopsy the following day, though the case was deferred pending additional testing and studies to determine the official cause and manner of death.
Reports indicate that Gerber had checked into the luxury sober living residence just a day before his death.
“The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time.”
Representative for Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, via USA Today
Uncovering Reza Nabavi’s 2002 Criminal History and License Struggles
As investigators examine the circumstances surrounding the death, attention has shifted to Reza Nabavi, the founder and executive clinical director of Resolutions Therapeutic Services. State records reveal that Nabavi faced significant legal and disciplinary hurdles before establishing his career in addiction treatment.
In February 2002, when Nabavi was 25 years old, Oakland Police Department officers found him asleep in a vehicle in an area known for narcotics and prostitution activity. A 15-year-old girl was inside the car; she told officers she did not know Nabavi well and was under the influence of methamphetamine. A subsequent search of the vehicle yielded methamphetamine, marijuana, a hunting knife, a handgun, and ammunition.
In May 2002, Nabavi pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of possessing a controlled substance and received a 36-month probation term. Less than four weeks later, he was arrested again after agreeing to sell methamphetamine to a confidential informant. Officers searched him and recovered meth, a glass pipe, and marijuana. He pleaded no contest to a second controlled-substance charge and received another 36-month probation sentence.
Licensing Hurdles and Probationary Oversight
The California Board of Psychology denied Nabavi’s initial application for registration as a psychologist in September 2004, citing his criminal convictions, controlled substance use, and conduct relevant to professional practice. A subsequent application in 2005 met the same fate.
Nabavi eventually registered as a psychological assistant in January 2006. However, that registration was revoked the following month, though the revocation was stayed under strict probationary terms. His five-year probation required regular psychological evaluations, employer notifications, weekly monitoring by a licensed psychologist, participation in a recovery program, and random substance testing.
The state board granted an early termination of his probation in May 2008. Nabavi later worked as the director of family services at Promises Malibu from June 2006 to May 2011 before founding Resolutions Living in Santa Monica in 2013. His psychology license remains active and is scheduled to expire on June 30, 2028.
Distinguishing a Recovery Residence from a Licensed Treatment Facility
The facility where Gerber died occupies a distinct regulatory category under California law. The California Department of Health Care Services confirmed to media outlets that it has no record of Resolutions operating as a licensed substance-use disorder residential treatment facility.
State authorities explained that the program functions as a sober living environment or recovery residence. Because sober homes do not provide clinical services such as medical detox, formal counseling sessions, or structured treatment planning, they operate without state licenses and are not subject to the same oversight required of traditional rehabilitation centers. The property offers structured, drug-free housing.
With the official cause and manner of death remaining pending further testing and studies requested by the county medical examiner, Santa Monica police continue to investigate how substances may have entered the residence.
