The news hit the baseball world like a lead weight in March 2025. Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of long-time New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, had died suddenly.
He was just a kid. A middle-school athlete with a "spark in his eyes" who wore his dad’s No. 11 on the football field. One day he was on a dream family vacation at a luxury resort in Costa Rica; the next, he was gone.
Naturally, the internet went into a frenzy of speculation. Was it a freak accident? A sudden medical emergency? For a few days, the local authorities in Costa Rica were scrambled, putting out conflicting reports that only made the tragedy feel more chaotic.
The Confusion in Quepos
Honestly, the first 48 hours were a mess of misinformation. Initial reports coming out of the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) in Costa Rica suggested that Miller might have died from asphyxiation caused by food poisoning.
The family had gone out to an Italian restaurant near their resort, the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort, on the night of March 20. By 11:00 p.m., the whole family felt sick. They called the hotel doctor. They thought it was just a bad case of "traveler's tummy."
But when the sun came up on Friday, March 21, Miller didn't wake up.
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Investigators eventually backed off the food poisoning theory. An autopsy performed by the Forensic Pathology Section quickly ruled out simple choking or respiratory failure linked to vomiting. Something else was in the air. Literally.
Determining the Cause of Death: Miller Gardner and Carbon Monoxide
By early April, the "real truth," as OIJ Director Randall Zúñiga called it, finally surfaced through toxicology.
Miller Gardner died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
It wasn’t the food. It wasn’t a virus. It was a colorless, odorless gas that leaked into their living space while they slept.
Toxicology tests found a 64% carboxyhemoglobin saturation level in Miller’s blood. To put that in perspective, anything over 50% is generally considered lethal for a healthy human being. Carbon monoxide basically "tricks" your red blood cells into picking it up instead of oxygen. You don't even know you're suffocating until it's too late.
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The Source of the Leak
So, where did it come from?
Investigators found that the Gardner family’s room was positioned right next to a "specialized machine room." They believe a malfunction in the hotel’s mechanical equipment—potentially a water heater or a generator—allowed high levels of CO to seep through the walls or ventilation.
A Criminal Investigation and a Raid
This wasn't just a tragic accident that everyone walked away from. In September 2025, things took a sharper legal turn.
Costa Rican prosecutors, led by Kenneth Alvarez, authorized a three-hour raid on the Arenas Del Mar resort. They weren't just looking for paperwork; they were seizing digital evidence and equipment to see if the resort had been negligent.
- Was the equipment maintained?
- Were there any CO detectors in the rooms? (Spoiler: many international hotels don't require them).
- Did the hotel staff ignore warning signs of a leak?
As of early 2026, the case is still technically open under the category of potential negligent homicide (manslaughter). The FBI has even been involved in coordinating with local officials to ensure the forensic data is airtight.
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Why This Matters for Travelers
The Gardners aren't the only ones. We’ve seen similar headlines recently in Mexico and the Bahamas. It’s terrifying because you can’t smell it, see it, or taste it.
Miller was an honor roll student. He loved hunting and fishing. He was the "feisty" youngest son of a World Series champion. His death is a brutal reminder that safety standards in luxury resorts abroad aren't always what we assume they are back in the States.
If you're planning a trip, specifically to Central or South America, there are a few things you should actually do. Don't just rely on the "five-star" rating of the hotel.
What You Can Do Now
- Pack a portable CO detector. They cost about $20-$30 on Amazon. They're small, battery-operated, and can literally save your life in a hotel room or Airbnb.
- Check for "Mechanical Rooms." If your hotel room shares a wall with a laundry room, boiler room, or pool heater area, ask for a different room.
- Identify the symptoms early. If everyone in your group starts feeling nauseous, dizzy, or "flu-ish" at the same time, get out of the building immediately. Don't just wait for a hotel doctor to give you stomach meds like the Gardners did.
Miller Mack Gardner's spirit clearly lives on through the family's support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, but his story remains a cautionary tale for every family booking a flight this year.
Take Action: Before your next international trip, purchase a UL-listed portable carbon monoxide alarm. It is the only guaranteed way to detect a leak in a facility that may not have updated sensors.