Carbon monoxide poisoning killed the 14-year-old son of former New York Yankees star Brett Gardner, a Costa Rican official announced Wednesday.
A toxicology report confirmed lethal levels of carboxyhemoglobin ― a compound that forms in exposure cases ― in the blood of Miller Gardner, the official said in a statement reported by CRHoy.com.
Miller died in a hotel room March 21 while on vacation in Costa Rica with his family.
Randall Zúñiga, director of the Judicial Investigation Agency, said the autopsy found a “layer” on the boy’s organs that is normally present when someone is exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide, The Associated Press reported.
“It’s important to note that adjacent to this room is a dedicated machine room, where it’s believed there may be some type of contamination toward these rooms,” Zúñiga said, per AP.
Earlier this week Zúñiga pointed to carbon monoxide as the likely cause of death.
The official added Wednesday that additional tests were conducted to detect substances such as fentanyl, and they came back negative, according to CRHoy.com.
The tragic circumstance and twists in the case grabbed the nation’s attention for weeks.
After the entire family felt unwell the previous night following dinner at a local restaurant, authorities initially believed the teen died of “asphyxiation due to intoxication related to food poisoning.” Then that was ruled out.
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Miller was an honor roll student who played baseball and football at Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville, South Carolina, according to his obituary.
A “private celebration of life” for Miller is being planned, the obit reported.
Brett Gardner played 14 years as an outfielder for the Yankees, including the World Series-winning 2009 season.
