According to the Costa Rica Judicial Research Agency, or OIJ, Miller Gardner may have died of carbon monoxide poisoning after revealing a potentially fatal increase in gas levels in the hotel room he was staying.
Gardner, the youngest child of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner. He passed away on March 21st At age 14 on vacation with his family. According to a statement from Gardner, he died while he was asleep after he and several other families became ill.
OIJ director Rándall Zúñiga said Monday that a team testing family hotel rooms found high levels of carbon monoxide and the rooms they stayed in were located next to a “specialized machine room” that could cause contamination. The test results have led OIJ investigators to believe Gardner “may have died by inhaling these extremely dangerous gases,” Zuniga said in a Spanish video statement.
“It is also important to emphasize that this whole investigation is closely coordinated with the US FBI. We are waiting for the final results of forensic toxicology and to accurately determine the death of this young man,” Zuniga said.
The hotel told CBS News in a statement Monday: “We are heartbroken by the recent tragic losses at our facility due to a cause that has not yet been confirmed, and we are enthusiastically working with the Costa Rico judicial authorities who took over the investigation.
“We will respect the ongoing judicial process and family privacy and refrain from commenting on unidentified hypotheses or possible causes,” the hotel added. “Our priorities continue to be the safety and happiness of our guests and staff, reaffirming our continued commitment to the highest operating standards within our facility.”
Carbon monoxide It is an odorless, colorless gas produced when fossil fuels are burned. Cars, furnaces, stoves, certain heaters and generators can all produce carbon monoxide. Symptoms Carbon monoxide poisoning can include headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and confusion.
The official cause of death has not been determined yet. OIJ previously said autopsy results could take two to three months.
Gardner was on vacation at Manuel Antonio’s Arena Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, about 50 miles south of San Jose.
The family did not provide details about who else got sick or what symptoms they experienced.
OIJ said earlier in the investigation that although food poisoning could be the cause of the death, the investigation was ongoing.
An update on the possibility of death comes days after Belize authorities said three American women who died in their hotel rooms last month had it. He died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
