Carbon monoxide poisoning is believed to be the reason behind the death of the son of a former Yankees star, according to officials.
Tests revealed that the room Miller Gardner, 14, the son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, stayed in while on vacation in Costa Rica had high levels of carbon monoxide, Rándall Zúñiga, the director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency, OIJ, said in a statement posted to YouTube on Monday.
It’s possible that the teenager could have died from ‘breathing in these gases that are so dangerous,’ said Zúñiga in Spanish.
The lethal gas could have come from a ‘specialized machine room’ located next to the Gardner family’s hotel room, according to Zúñiga.
USA TODAY has reached out to OIJ for more information.
What happened to Miller Gardner?
On March 21, Miller’s body was found in a hotel room in Manuel Antonio, a resort area on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, reported NBC News and CNN.
Miller is the son of former New York Yankees player Brett Gardner, who played 14 seasons in the MLB. Brett retired after the 2021 season. He was also part of the Yankees’ championship team in 2009, was named an All-Star in 2015, and won an American League Gold Glove in 2016.
The teen’s parents shared news of his death Sunday afternoon via the Yankees’ social media accounts. The family said he and other family members got sick while on vacation in Costa Rica.
“We have so many questions and so few answers at this point, but we do know that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Friday, March 21st,” they wrote.
Officials confirmed Gardner’s son did not die of asphyxiation
Costa Rican officials initially told media outlets, including NBC News and CNN, that Miller Gardner, 14, appeared to have died by asphyxia after a possible intoxication tied to food.
‘A consultation was conducted with the doctor from the Forensic Pathology Section of the Judicial Investigation Agency, and the preliminary ruling ruled out asphyxiation as the cause of death,’ Juan Pablo Alvarado García of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) told USA TODAY Tuesday afternoon.
‘No macro-level abnormalities were observed in the respiratory tract upon inspection of the body,’ he added.
Officials will send samples to the OIJ’s Forensic Science laboratories for histology, toxicology, and neuropathology, García said. There will also be a study done at the Costa Rican Institute for Research and Teaching in Nutrition and Health at the University of Costa Rica.
Teen ‘lived life to the fullest,’ family says
Miller, who passed away Friday, March 21, was the youngest of two sons.
His parents said in their statement that he loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, and his loved ones. They said they are struggling to come to terms with life without the teenager and his “infectious smile.”
“He lived life to the fullest every single day,” his family wrote.
“It wasn’t just Brett who literally grew up in this organization for more than 17 years,” the Yankees wrote. “So did his wife, Jessica, and their two boys, Hunter and Miller.”
An obituary for Miller online reads, ‘The void Miller’s passing leaves in the hearts of his family, friends, teammates, teachers, coaches and others will be felt for years.’
The family is looking to honor Miller’s memory by asking people to make donations to Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non-profit that aims to make wishes for sick children come true.
Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at jgomez@gannett.com
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.