CNN
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Asphyxiation has been ruled out as the cause of death for Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, Costa Rican officials told CNN on Tuesday.
Gardner and his wife Jessica announced on Sunday that their son Miller had died after a sudden illness while on vacation.
According to Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ), Gardner and his family were vacationing at a hotel in Manuel Antonio, a town on the Pacific coast of the country, when the whole family fell ill, likely from food poisoning from something they ate.
Marisel Rodríguez from the OIJ told CNN that Miller Gardner was found dead last Friday in his hotel room and that, although preliminary reports suggested the cause of death could be “asphyxiation due to intoxication related to food poisoning,” asphyxia was later ruled out by forensic medicine – a division of OIJ – as there was no obstruction of the airways.
Rodríguez added that they are still waiting for the results of toxicology tests to determine whether food poisoning was the cause of death.
Juan Pablo Alvarado, an official with OIJ’s press office, told CNN that asphyxia was first considered because the body was found with vomit.
In their statement on Sunday, Brett and Jessica Gardner said Miller “left us far too soon after falling ill along with several other family members while on vacation.”
“Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile,” Brett and Jessica Gardner said of Miller. “He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day.”
Gardner played in Major League Baseball for 14 seasons, all with the Yankees where he was a part of the team that won the World Series in 2009. He retired following the 2021 season.
CNN’s Djenane Villanueva contributed to this report.