Authorities are investigating the death as a suspected overdose, though an official cause and manner of death have not yet been announced.
Presley, who was also the older brother of model Kaia Gerber, had previously spoken publicly about his struggles with mental health and substance use. Earlier in his recovery journey, he had also discussed undergoing ibogaine treatment.
According to information released following his death, responding paramedics pronounced Presley dead at 9:45 a.m. on September 20, 2026.
An autopsy was performed Monday.
However, the Medical Examiner’s Office stressed that the investigation remained in its early stages and that limited information was available.
Presley’s body was reportedly released Tuesday following the completion of the autopsy, but toxicology and other testing can take additional time, meaning many questions about what happened remain unanswered.
Now forensic analyst Joseph Scott Morgan has discussed the kinds of questions investigators may examine when an unexpected death occurs inside a rehabilitation facility.
Speaking with NewsNation, Morgan emphasized that investigations involving suspected overdoses in treatment settings can quickly become complicated.
One of the major questions, he explained, could involve how substances might have entered the facility—if toxicology ultimately determines that drugs or other substances contributed to Presley’s death.
Morgan questioned whether Presley had been checked and whether visitors entering the facility had also been screened.
His comments were not evidence that anyone brought drugs into the facility, nor did he claim to know what caused Presley’s death. Rather, he was describing potential investigative questions that authorities may consider while reconstructing Presley’s final hours.
Toxicology testing is expected to play an important role.
Morgan explained that medical examiners can screen for a broad range of substances. Investigators would not necessarily be concerned only with whether a particular substance was detected, but also with how much was present and whether the concentration could have contributed to the death.
Until those results are completed, however, any specific explanation remains speculative.
Questions have also emerged about why Santa Monica police responded to the rehabilitation facility following the emergency call.
Morgan said police involvement in an unexpected death involving such a young person should not automatically be viewed as unusual.
“This is a young man who should not be deceased. They’re going to respond to this,” he told NewsNation.
He further explained that death investigators generally begin their work without assuming they already know what happened.
“Our working assumption in any death investigation is that every death is suspicious,” Morgan said, explaining that investigators work from that position in order to reach a thorough conclusion.
That approach does not mean authorities have determined criminal activity occurred. Instead, it allows investigators to examine the circumstances before reaching conclusions about cause and manner of death.
Meanwhile, Cindy Crawford, Rande Gerber and Kaia Gerber have asked for privacy as the family mourns Presley’s sudden death.
For now, the biggest questions remain unanswered.
What exactly happened before Presley was found unresponsive?
What will toxicology testing reveal?
And will investigators ultimately confirm the initial suspicion of an overdose—or determine that something else contributed to his death?
Until the Medical Examiner completes the investigation, the official cause of Presley’s death remains undetermined.
Presley Gerber was only 27.
His death has left his family grieving while investigators continue working to establish what happened during his final hours.