NEWSYankees Great Brett Gardner's Son Miller’s Toxicology Report Revealed After Shocking Death
Miller Gardner was 14 when he died in his sleep on March 21.
Brett Gardner’s 14-year-old son, Miller, died of carbon monoxide poisoning, a toxicology report has confirmed.
The former Yankees outfielder's youngest son was found dead on Friday, March 21, while on vacation in Costa Rica with his family.
Miller Gardner was the youngest son of Yankees great Brett Gardner and his wife, Jessica.
General Director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigative Agency (OIJ) Randall Zúñiga revealed poisonous gases, including carbon monoxide, had been the cause of Miller’s tragic loss of life while sharing results of the teenager’s toxicology testing in a press statement on Wednesday, April 2.
"In the carboxyhemoglobin test, a saturation level of 64 percent was found," Zúñiga explained. "In such cases, when concentrations exceed 50 percent carboxyhemoglobin, it is considered lethal. In this particular case, with a saturation of 64 percent, the level is clearly well above that lethal threshold."
Brett Gardner and his wife, Jessica, also share a son named Hunter.
"Therefore, this confirms the police hypothesis that the death was caused by exposure to poisonous gases, specifically carbon monoxide. With this, the case is practically closed. The only step remaining is for the toxicology report from the OIJ Forensic Sciences Department to be forwarded to the Legal Medicine Department, so the expert can include it in the autopsy report," he continued.
Zúñiga said additional "tests were also conducted, such as drug screenings — including for fentanyl — and all came back negative in relation to the symptoms shown by young Gardner."
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The Gardner family was on vacation in Costa Rica when tragedy struck.
The OIJ director continued: "In this particular case, a strictly scientific investigation was carried out, which allowed the real truth of the facts to be determined. In fact, during the autopsy, the organs of young Gardner showed a very specific layer that forms when a person dies from carbon monoxide poisoning or gas inhalation. That emphysema was both visible and very noticeable during the autopsy."
Miller's death was first revealed by his family in a statement shared by the New York Yankees last month.
Brett Gardner retired from the New York Yankees following the 2021 season.
"With heavy hearts we are saddened to announce the passing of our youngest son, Miller. He was 14 years old and has left us far too soon after falling ill along with several other family members while on vacation," the message read. "We have so many questions and so few answers at this point, but we do know that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Friday, March 21st."
Officials in Costa Rica and the Gardner family initially wondered whether something Miller had eaten or medicine he took to help fix "gastrointestinal symptoms" he and the rest of his loved ones were experiencing played a factor in his death, though his toxicology results confirmed this wasn't the case.
When emergency responders were called to the scene, medical professionals found a "14-year-old patient with no vitals" and his "family members" also present, head of Quepos Urgent Care hospital Dr. Kevin Gannon shared at the end of March.
Despite first responders performing "advanced life support CPR for 30 minutes," Miller could not be saved and was ultimately pronounced dead.
During the Yankees' home-opener, which was also their first game of the season, the beloved baseball team honored Miller with a moment of silence before players took the field for the start of the matchup.
