Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, passed away from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The teen died on March 21st while on vacation with his family in Costa Rica.

“Authorities conducted a blood test for carbon monoxide and found a saturation level of 64% in Gardner’s body, Costa Rican officials said. Concentrations above 50% are considered lethal,” ABC News reports.

ABC News reports:

Miller Gardner died in his sleep on the morning of March 21 while on a family vacation. The hotel where Gardner died has not yet commented on the toxicology report, though previously said that high levels of carbon monoxide detected were in an adjacent mechanical room, not Miller’s.

The night before Miller Gardner’s death, the family went out to dinner at a restaurant close to the resort and said they felt sick when they returned to the hotel, according to a Costa Rican source close to the investigation.

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A hotel spokesperson said the staff “dispatched a medical team immediately, including a licensed doctor, which arrived to handle the emergency situation.”

“Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile,” the Gardners said. “We are so thankful to all who have reached out to offer support and encouragement during this difficult time and we are confident our faith, family, and friends will help us navigate this unimaginable loss.”

From the New York Post:

The Costa Rican official on Monday revealed that the family’s hotel room, located adjacent to a mechanical room at the resort, was contaminated with “high levels of carbon monoxide.”

“It’s also important to note that next to [the family’s] room there is a specialized machine room, from which it is believed some form of contamination may have reached the guest rooms, potentially causing the incident,” Zuniga said at a virtual press conference.

Zuniga stated that a test found the air in the family’s hotel room contained carbon monoxide levels as high as “600 parts per million.”

Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort, however, denied the validity of the official’s report to The Post, claiming that the machine room tested positive for the outrageously high levels of the toxic gas, not the guests’ rooms.

“The levels in the hotel room were non-existent and non-lethal. There was an error in this initial reporting,” the resort said on Tuesday.

Initial theories suggested Miller likely died of asphyxiation in his sleep, choking on vomit due to food poisoning, but the theory was ruled out when authorities revealed the 14-year-old had no windpipe blockage.

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Former Yankee Brett Gardner and his wife, Jessica, mourned the loss of their son in an obituary Tuesday.

 

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