Costa Rican authorities rule out asphyxiation as the cause of death of Brett Gardner's teenage son

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SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Rican authorities announced Tuesday that they will continue to investigate the cause of death of the teenage son of former Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner as they ruled out asphyxiation as the reason.

The 14-year-old Miller Gardner died Friday while staying with his family at a hotel on the Manuel Antonio beach in Costa Rica’s Central Pacific.

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency told The Associated Press that on Thursday evening, members of the Gardner family went to dinner outside the hotel and began feeling ill upon returning.

They initially received treatment from the hotel doctor.

“The following morning, a family member found the child with no vital signs and alerted authorities,” the judicial police said.

The judicial agency explained that asphyxiation was initially considered as the cause of death, but after an autopsy performed by the Forensic Pathology Section, that theory was ruled out.

“No abnormalities were found in the respiratory tract, so samples were sent for histological, toxicological, and neuropathological analysis to the OIJ forensic laboratories, in addition to a study at the Costa Rican Institute for Research and Teaching in Nutrition and Health (INCIENSA) at the University of Costa Rica (UCR),” the report states.

The Judicial Investigation Agency stated that the death remains under investigation and its conclusions could take two to three months.

Brett Gardner, 41, was drafted by the Yankees in 2005 and spent his entire big league career with the organization. The speedy outfielder batted .256 with 139 homers, 578 RBIs, 274 steals and 73 triples in 14 seasons from 2008-2021.

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