NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – The mysterious death of former Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner's 14-year-old son may have been from carbon monoxide poisoning at a Costa Rican hotel, authorities said Monday.
Miller Gardner died March 21 while staying with his family at a hotel on the Manuel Antonio beach in Costa Rica’s Central Pacific.
At a press conference, the director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency, Randall Zuniga, said tests showed “high levels of carbon monoxide contamination” in the family’s hotel room, which was near a “machine room” that may have been a source of the deadly gas.
Authorities are still awaiting the results of a forensic toxicology, according to the OIJ, which has been working with the FBI on the case.
The death is believed to be accidental, and no foul play is suspected, an OIJ spokesperson told ESPN.
Authorities said members of the Gardner family went to dinner outside the hotel and began feeling ill upon returning. They initially received treatment from the hotel doctor.
“The following morning, a family member found the child with no vital signs and alerted authorities,” the OIJ said.
The judicial agency said asphyxiation from food poisoning was initially considered as the cause of death but was ruled out after an autopsy was performed.
“No abnormalities were found in the respiratory tract, so samples were sent for histological, toxicological, and neuropathological analysis to the OIJ forensic laboratories, in addition to a study at the Costa Rican Institute for Research and Teaching in Nutrition and Health (INCIENSA) at the University of Costa Rica (UCR),” the autopsy report shows.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.