Costa Rican investigators have ruled out asphyxiation as the cause of death for the 14-year-old son of former Yankees star Brett Gardner, according to a report.
Although authorities initially said that Miller Gardner had died from asphyxiation after eating food that made him sick, officials have now determined that his respiratory tract was clear, ABC News reported.
The Costa Rican police did not offer an alternative cause of death and told ABC that it could take months for an autopsy to be completed because of a backlog due to the country’s high murder rate.
However, the authorities said that they do not believe Gardner’s death was suspicious.
Gardner was found dead in a Costa Rican hotel room on Friday while on vacation with his family. His family said in a statement on Sunday that other members of the family had fallen ill alongside their youngest son.
Today, police from the town of Quepos, who are leading the investigation, will question staff at Arenas del Mar resort in Manuel Antonio, the high-end hotel where the family was staying, according to ABC.
“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,” Brett and Jessica Gardner said in their statement.
“Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile,” the boy’s parents added. “He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day.”
Brett Gardner is an all-star former outfielder who spent his entire 14-year career with the Yankees before retiring in 2021.
“Our hearts are heavy, and the Yankees family is filled with grief,” the team said in a statement, according to ABC. “It wasn’t just Brett who literally grew up in this organization for more than 17 years -- so did his wife, Jessica, and their two boys, Hunter and Miller.”
