Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of former Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, has had his cause of death officially confirmed.
Miller, 14, passed away on March 21 at the upscale Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort near Manuel Antonio National Park.
The teenager was found unresponsive in the hotel room he was sharing with family members, several of whom had fallen ill the night before.
His heartbroken family released a statement addressing their loss, which read: “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.
“He was 14 years old and has left us far too soon after falling ill along with several other family members while on vacation,” they wrote. “He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family, and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day.” They added: “We cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile.”
An obituary shared by Miller's loved ones described the devastating impact of his passing: “The void Miller’s passing leaves in the hearts of his family, friends, teammates, teachers, coaches, and others will be felt for years.
“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 obituary read.
Costa Rican officials confirmed on Wednesday (April 2) that the teen died from carbon monoxide poisoning while vacationing with his family last month.
“The toxicology results are in, and the carboxyhemoglobin test found a saturation of 64%. Concentrations above 50% are already lethal,” said Randall Zuniga, director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency, during a briefing reported by CRHOY.
Two days prior, Zuniga had revealed that the hotel room adjacent to a mechanical space tested positive for “high levels of carbon monoxide.”
He explained: “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.”
Tests reportedly showed carbon monoxide concentrations as high as “600 parts per million” in the area. However, the resort disputed the claim, insisting the deadly levels were only found in the machine room, not in the guest room itself.
“The levels in the hotel room were non-existent and non-lethal. There was an error in this initial reporting,” Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort stated.
Initial speculation had pointed to possible food poisoning or an allergic reaction after the Gardner family reported feeling unwell following dinner the previous night.
Dr. Kevin Gannon, a physician from Manuel Antonio Urgent Care and one of the first medics at the scene, confirmed the family had been sick. “The Gardners had all vomited after getting sick following the dinner the night before,” he said.
Despite initial theories, authorities ruled out asphyxiation from choking. “From what we encountered there, we could not verify a cause of death,” Gannon told The New York Post, adding, “We tested him for cardiac arrest and performed CPR for more than 30 minutes.”
Allergic reactions were also ruled out by medical professionals. “Allergic reactions to normal gastrointestinal medications are very rare,” Gannon noted.
As speculation swirled, the FBI reportedly coordinated with Costa Rican authorities to investigate the incident. The resort, however, said no FBI personnel had been on-site as of Tuesday afternoon.
As Costa Rican investigators continue to probe the source of the deadly gas leak, the resort has slashed room prices and closed off the mechanical area in question “out of an abundance of caution.”