Costa Rican authorities are pressing forward with their investigation into the untimely death of the teenage son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner. Officials have ruled out asphyxiation as the cause in their ongoing inquiry.
Fourteen-year-old Miller Gardner passed away on Friday while vacationing with his family at a hotel located on Manuel Antonio beach on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast.
According to Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency, on Thursday evening, the Gardner family dined outside their hotel and began experiencing symptoms of illness upon their return. They sought initial medical attention from the hotel’s doctor.
By the following morning, the Gardner family alerted authorities when a family member discovered that the teenager displayed no signs of life, as reported by the judicial police.
Initially, asphyxiation was suspected to be the cause of death, but that hypothesis was dismissed following an autopsy conducted by the Forensic Pathology Section. “No abnormalities were found in the respiratory tract, so samples were sent for histological, toxicological, and neuropathological analysis,” reads the report. Further tests are being carried out by the OIJ forensic laboratories and at the Costa Rican Institute for Research and Teaching in Nutrition and Health (INCIENSA) at the University of Costa Rica (UCR).
The Judicial Investigation Agency emphasized that the investigation remains active, and it may take two to three months to reach definitive conclusions.
Brett Gardner, aged 41, was a long-time player for the Yankees after being drafted by the organization in 2005. Over a 14-season career spanning from 2008 to 2021, he maintained a batting average of .256 with 139 home runs, 578 RBIs, 274 stolen bases, and 73 triples.