Brett Gardner played for the New York Yankees from 2008 until his retirement in 2021, but he was back in the news in 2025 after the tragic death of his teenage son, Miller Gardner.
The younger Gardner, only 14 years old, died on March 21 while the family was on vacation in Costa Rica. While there were two initial theories — asphyxiation and food poisoning — that were being looked into as causes of the young man’s death, the Associated Press via ESPN is now reporting that a cause has been determined.
It was concluded that Miller Gardner died of carbon monoxide poisoning that he suffered while at a hotel.
Costa Rica’s Director of the Judicial Investigation Agency, Randall Zúñiga, revealed that Garnder had a carboxyhemoglobin saturation of 64%. Carboxyhemoglobin is a compound created when carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin in the blood. It’s considered lethal when the level is over 50%.
“It’s important to note that adjacent to this room is a dedicated machine room, where it’s believed there may be some type of contamination toward these rooms,” Zúñiga said.
An autopsy had ruled out asphyxiation while the food poisoning investigation was at hand because several members of the family had felt ill after eating at a restaurant near the hotel on March 20, so much so that they had to receive treatment from the hotel doctor.
No matter the cause, this is an unspeakable tragedy for the Gardner family. Still, the fact that it could have been due to a machine room in the hotel adds another terrible layer to an already awful story.
