The tragic death of Yankees icon Brett Gardner's 14-year-old son has taken a couple of turns. But this may be the strangest twist yet. A Costa Rica resort is refuting reports by authorities that carbon monoxide was to blame in the teen's death.
The 14-year-old died suddenly while on vacation with his family. They were staying at the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort on March 21. Following an investigation, Costa Rica's Judicial Investigations Agency (OIJ) believes Miller Gardner may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
In a press conference, Randall Zúñiga, general director of the OIJ, suggested that authorities found high levels of carbon monoxide in the room. However, the Costa Rica resort is rejecting those findings.
"The levels in the hotel room were non-existent and non-lethal. There was an error in this initial reporting," a spokesperson for the resort told the New York Post.
This comes in contradiction to Zúñiga's statement. He said there was "high levels of carbon monoxide contamination" in the room.
"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.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Or Not?
However, the Costa Rica resort says that the high levels were actually found in a mechanical room, which guests can't access, rather than the family's room itself. Still, the resort closed the room out of an abundance of caution. They're waiting for "conclusive results to confirm the cause of this unfortunate death."
Furthermore, authorities suggested "some form of contamination may have reached the guest rooms" from said mechanical room. So it sounds like a bunch of he said/she said at the moment. However, authorities stand by the probable cause of carbon monoxide as they wait for final toxicology results.
"That led us to the line of investigation that this person [Miller] could have died from inhaling these dangerous gases," he explained.
Miller died after going on a trip with his family. The entire family fell ill with food poisoning after eating out. But they later found him dead in his room. The family mourned his passing in a tribute.
"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. "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. 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."
