Presley Gerber’s death at age 27 has renewed urgent questions about overdose danger, withdrawal complications and the difficult realities of addiction recovery. His official cause of death has not been determined.

The son of model Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber died Sunday at a California rehabilitation facility, according to records from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. His mother’s representative confirmed the death to Fox News Digital.

“The family is asking for privacy during this very difficult and painful time,” the family said in a statement shared by the representative.

Audio recordings obtained by People suggest police received a 911 call Sunday morning reporting a cardiac arrest at a facility in the 1000 block of Berkeley Street. A separate dispatch described the response as a potential overdose.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office later confirmed that an autopsy had been completed. The cause of death remained undetermined while officials awaited further testing.

Gerber had spoken publicly over the years about his struggles with substance use and mental health. However, Nicholas Kardaris, Ph.D., cautioned against drawing conclusions simply because Gerber died at a rehabilitation facility.

Kardaris is CEO and chief clinical officer of the New York Center for Living in Manhattan and a clinical professor at Stony Brook Medicine’s School of Social Welfare. He did not treat Gerber and has no connection to the case.

Possible explanations for a death in treatment could include an acute medical or cardiac event, an undiagnosed condition or a complication involving medication, Kardaris said. People entering residential programs may have complex medical histories, and some conditions may not be immediately apparent.

“Younger people can sometimes die suddenly, and we don’t know whether they had an underlying medical issue,” Kardaris said. “It’s not impossible to have a medication-related event, particularly if someone has an underlying heart disorder.”

Entering treatment does not mean a person’s addiction has disappeared or every danger has passed, Kardaris emphasized. “People are in rehab because they’re struggling with addiction. It doesn’t mean they’re cured of their addiction,” he said.

Treatment centers try to maintain controlled environments, but they cannot remove every risk connected to addiction, withdrawal, relapse or medical complications. “Facilities take great pains to make sure substances don’t come in, but it’s not a perfect system.”

Kardaris stressed that this was a general observation about treatment environments, not an indication of what happened to Gerber. Withdrawal itself can range from uncomfortable to life threatening, depending on the substance and the person’s physical dependence.

“People can die from withdrawal, but the substances that are most dangerous to withdraw [from] without proper medical supervision are benzodiazepines, such as Valium or Xanax, and alcohol,” Kardaris told Fox News Digital. Opioid withdrawal, while extremely uncomfortable, is generally not fatal by itself, he said.

Benzodiazepine withdrawal can cause seizures, delirium and other life threatening complications. The FDA warns that abruptly stopping drugs such as Xanax or Valium, or reducing them too quickly, can cause serious withdrawal reactions, including seizures.

“Someone might disclose heroin use but not mention that they’re also withdrawing from a benzodiazepine, such as Valium,” Kardaris said. “If they don’t receive medication to treat that withdrawal, they can have a seizure that can lead to fatal complications.”

Another particularly dangerous period for someone with opioid use disorder may follow detox, when tolerance has fallen. “If someone relapses after rehab, they may use the same amount they were using before treatment — but their tolerance has gone down, and that amount can now be fatal.”

Gerber had previously discussed undergoing ibogaine treatment in Mexico. Kardaris noted that ibogaine is not FDA approved for any medical use in the United States, although researchers have studied it experimentally as a possible treatment for opioid use disorder.

“Ketamine, ayahuasca and ibogaine are psychoactive or psychedelic treatments that have become increasingly popular,” Kardaris said. “There is some research indicating potential benefits, but they remain largely unregulated.”

Ketamine is FDA approved as an anesthetic but not as a treatment for psychiatric disorders, although some clinicians use it outside approved indications in mental health settings. Ibogaine and ayahuasca are not FDA approved treatments in the United States.

Kardaris said Gerber’s previous ibogaine treatment does not show which substances he may have used and is not evidence of what caused his death. Describing the broader treatment field as unsettled, he said, “It’s a bit of the Wild West right now.”

Families considering a treatment center should confirm that it is licensed, employs qualified medical professionals and has proper procedures for withdrawal, medication management and emergencies, Kardaris advised. “Families should make sure licensed professionals are working there and that the program has a strong reputation,” he said.