Cindy Crawford's son Presley Gerber death: Cardiac arrest call, suspected overdose detailed as police investigate

Just three months before his death, Presley Gerber stood before an audience in Malibu and described his turning point in recovery: "The most free I felt was when I was finally honest with myself."

Gerber, the son of supermodel Cindy Crawford and entrepreneur Rande Gerber, died on Sunday, Sept. 20. He was 27. According to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner records obtained by PEOPLE, he died at a rehabilitation facility in Santa Monica, California.

What authorities have said

Dispatch recordings obtained by PEOPLE show that Santa Monica police received a call at 9:35 am reporting a cardiac arrest in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street. A second dispatch indicated that first responders were heading to a suspected overdose at the same address. The Medical Examiner's office told the outlet that responding paramedics pronounced Gerber dead at 9:45 am.

In a statement released Monday, the Santa Monica Police Department said officers found Gerber dead when they arrived. Detectives "are investigating the death as a suspected overdose," the department said, adding that there was "no indication of foul play" and that the official cause and manner of death would be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner.

The Medical Examiner's office said an autopsy was performed on Monday but that the findings were deferred pending additional tests or studies. Officials said they could not disclose which tests had been requested because the investigation is ongoing. They noted that deferred cases can take several months to resolve.

A family representative told PEOPLE that the Gerbers are "asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time."

A public voice on mental health

Gerber had spoken openly about his mental health and his history of substance use, both in public appearances and on social media. His final public appearance was on June 11 at the We Are ENOUGH x Aviator Nation launch at Aviator Nation Dreamland in Malibu, where his parents were with him.

At the event, he talked about the pressure of growing up in the public eye and feeling he had to present himself a certain way. He said he found freedom by being open about his struggles. He also offered simple advice for daily wellbeing: "Move your body regardless of how you're feeling. Get outside. Get some sun," he said, adding that anyone who didn't feel like moving could simply lie on the grass.

His sister's reflections

His younger sister, model and actress Kaia Gerber, had also spoken about her brother's struggles. In a Vogue cover interview published a month before his death, the magazine described him as having faced a decade-long battle with drug addiction.

Kaia told Vogue that such a crisis "kind of levels everyone" in a family. She explained that she began setting her own needs aside so the family could focus on Presley. "I think that's also why I started to self-identify as the easy one and never wanted to ask for help," she said. "Because it felt like too much to have two children who were needing."