Miller Gardner, the late son of Yankees legend Brett Gardner, may have died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, Costa Rican authorities announced Monday.
Miller, 14, died suddenly while on a vacation with the former outfielder and the rest of the Gardner family at the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort in Costa Rica on March 21.
Asphyxiation following ‘possible food poisoning’ had initially been touted as a potential cause of death but Juan Pablo Alvarado Garcia, of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigations Agency (OIJ), previously told DailyMail.com that investigators had discounted that theory.
Now, an investigation carried out Friday has found that that there were ‘high levels of carbon monoxide contamination’ in the family’s hotel room, Randall Zúñiga, general director of the OIJ, said in a virtual press conference Monday.
‘It’s also important to note that next to [the family’s] room there is a specialized machine room, from which it is believed some form of contamination may have reached the guest rooms, potentially causing the incident,’ Zúñiga explained.
Carbon monoxide poisoning has not yet been confirmed as the official cause of death as officials await the final toxicology results amid the ongoing investigation.
Yankees legend Brett Gardner’s son Miller, 14, may have died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning
Miller Gardner (second right) died suddenly while on a vacation with dad Brett (right), mom Jessica (second left) and older brother Hunter, 16 (left)
The Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort where Miller’s body was found
‘Nevertheless, the initial investigative findings indicate that the incident was due to this contamination, with levels as high as 600 parts per million detected — when the appropriate level in this case should be zero,’ Zúñiga stated.
An investigative team specializing in dangerous gases carried out the inspection inside the Gardner family’s hotel room under the jurisdiction of the fire department Friday, leading to the discovery of the perilously high levels of carbon monoxide.
‘That led us to the line of investigation that this person [Miller] could have died from inhaling these dangerous gases,’ Zúñiga explained.
He added that the OIJ had notified the local Fire Department and Ministry of Health in order for ‘appropriate action’ to be taken regarding the ‘confirmed contamination in the room.’
Zúñiga reiterated that the agency was working in tandem with the FBI in the United States while they ‘wait for the final results from forensic toxicology.’
Just last month, three American tourists – Kaoutar Naqqad, 23, Imane Mallah, 24, and Wafae El Arar, 26 – were found dead inside their room at the Royal Kahal Beach Resort in Belize.
Toxicology reports confirmed their deaths were caused by ‘fatal exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning’ last week. Each of the women died from acute pulmonary edema, a build-up of fluid in the lungs.
Randall Zúñiga, general director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigative Agency, said investigations inside the Gardners’ hotel room revealed high levels of the poisonous gas
The Gardner family were staying at the $900-a-night Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort in Manuel Antonio
The tragedy happened after Brett, a former World Series winner with the Yankees, Jessica, Miller and older son Hunter, 16, all suffered severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea following dinner at an outside restaurant the night before.
Desperate medics battled in vain for 30 minutes to try to kickstart 14-year-old Miller’s heart after he was found by a frantic family member who raised the alarm, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed.
Just hours before the news of Miller’s potential cause of death broke, Brett and wife Jessica shared a heartbreaking tribute to their late son in an emotional obituary Monday.
‘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 wrote.
‘The Gardner family will forever cherish the places they visited, the people they met, the friends they made, and the memories they created together.
‘Miller’s time here with them was brief but his spirit will carry on forever through those who were impacted by the way he lived.’
The family revealed that they would be honoring Miller’s legacy by using his memory to help benefit other children, requesting donations to be made to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
‘Miller was so blessed with experiences and friendships in his 14 years, and he would want other children to have the opportunity to create their own wonderful memories,’ the obituary continued.
The tragedy happened after Brett, Jessica, Miller and older son Hunter, 16, all suffered severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea following dinner at an outside restaurant the night before
Brett and Jessica asked for donations to be made to Make-A-Wish in Miller’s memory
The heart-wrenching statement also remembered Miller’s active participation in school and the community, recalling his role on both the middle school football team and junior varsity baseball team and place on the Honor Roll amid his multitude of hobbies.
Miller was described as a fan of playing golf, fishing, hunting, riding dirt bikes, and traveling to new places with his family.
‘In this time of unimaginable loss, the family prays that joy and healing will come to others who share their grief,’ the obituary concluded.
A private celebration of life will be held for Miller at an undisclosed later date. The service will be reserved for family and close friends.
Initial reports suggested that the autopsy results could not be publicly ready for another two months or so as a murderous drugs gang war in Costa Rica was causing the severe delay in proceedings.
Juan Pablo Alvarado Garcia, of the Judicial Investigations Agency, admitted to DailyMail.com on Tuesday: ‘We’re having a hike in homicides as these drug gangs battle for territory and every one of them needs an autopsy.
‘I can confirm that an autopsy has been carried out on Miller, But the full analysis and results, as in every one of them, will take at least two to three months due to these constant killings causing a backlog of cases. That’s the reality.’
Alvarado said a doctor was called to the Arenas del Mar resort immediately after all four Gardners were stricken with sickness. She gave them all medication to combat the symptoms.
A private celebration of life will be held for Miller at an undisclosed later date
Dad Brett spent his entire Major League Baseball career as an outfielder with the Yankees
Medical experts had then probed whether Miller might have had a bad or allergic reaction to any drugs they were given to alleviate the sudden sickness.
They had also been investigating if Miller brought an existing bacterial infection with him after traveling to the Pacific coast resort from the family home in Summerville, South Carolina.
Brett, 41, played 14 seasons with the Yankees between 2008 and 2021 and was part of their 2009 World Series-winning outfit. He was said to be highly respected within the organization and forged close ties with the likes of Aaron Judge.
After the tragic news surfaced, the organization paid tribute to Miller before their Opening Day win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. The Yankees honored the memory of their former outfielder’s son by holding a moment of silence.
Ahead of the game, stadium announcer Paul Olden hailed Miller for his ‘outgoing and feisty personality and warm and loving nature.’
Both sets of teams lined up along the diamond to pay their respects as Miller’s photo was shown on the big screen above the batter’s eye just under a week since tragedy rocked the Gardner family.
‘Miller had a spark in his eyes, an outgoing and feisty personality, and a warm and loving nature,’ Olden said over the PA system.
‘Miller grew up in the Yankees organization and had become a two-sport athlete, wearing his father’s No. 11 on his football jersey.
The Yankees paid tribute to Miller before their MLB season opener on Thursday
Aaron Judge made his own gesture to honor Miller during the Bleacher Creatures’ Roll Call
‘The entire Yankees organization grieves this unimaginable loss with Brett, his wife Jessica, and their son Hunter.’
Yankees captain Judge, who made his own gesture of support for this former teammate, admitted that he had been keeping Gardner and his family in his thoughts.
‘Even guys that aren’t on this team. I got a lot of phone calls, texts from other guys that we were young guys kind of coming up that, ‘What do we do? Do we reach out with what’s going on?’ Just because of the way that Brett impacted all our lives,’ Judge said, via Newsday.
‘This guy was a leader of all of us, a second dad to some guys,’ he added. ‘He poured everything into every single guy.’
