Costa Rican authorities said Monday that Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of Yankees legend Brett Gardner, may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Investigators found "high levels" of the toxic gas in the family's hotel room. Miller died on March 21 while vacationing in Costa Rica after a mysterious illness that also affected several members of the Gardner family.
Initial reports suggested that Miller may have died in his sleep from asphyxiation due to food poisoning, but that theory was ruled out. Randall Zúñiga, general director of Costa Rica's Judicial Investigative Agency (OIJ), said on Monday that tests confirmed "high levels of carbon monoxide contamination" in the family's hotel room.
Shocking New Revelations
The family room was located next to a mechanical room. "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 said in Spanish at a virtual press conference.
Zúñiga noted that the investigation, a collaborative effort between Costa Rica's OIJ and the FBI, is still ongoing as authorities await the final toxicology results.
"Nonetheless, 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," he said.
Miller's sudden death has left both doctors and authorities puzzled. The suspected cause has shifted from asphyxiation to a possible allergic reaction, but definitive answers won't be available until the toxicology report is completed— which could take several months.
The Mystery Continues
Medical personnel at the scene the morning Miller was found unresponsive told The New York Post that they spent a grueling 30 minutes trying to resuscitate the teenager but failed to do so.
The Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort, where the Gardner family was staying and had reportedly dined the night before Miller's death, initially sought to distance itself from the tragedy after food poisoning was suspected.
However, the high-profile incident led to a sharp decline in tourism across the country, with travelers canceling hotel bookings in large numbers.
In a separate widely publicized case last month, three American tourists in Belize were found dead after suffering "fatal exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning" in their hotel room.
