Officials in Costa Rica are days into their investigation of Miller Gardner’s death, and are walking back what they originally thought may have been behind the tragic incident, saying the exact cause is still unknown. The new twist comes as more tributes pour in for the teen and his family. NBC News’ Emilie Ikeda reports.
A day after ruling out the previously believed cause of death for the youngest son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, who died after getting sick during a family vacation, investigators are looking into whether the 14-year-old may have had some allergic reaction to medicine, Costa Rican officials say.
Miller Gardner died in his sleep Friday morning, according to a statement from Brett Gardner and his wife, Jessica. Investigators initially believed the boy choked after getting sick from food poisoning and passed in his sleep, but forensic examination found no indication of asphyxia, according to Juan Pablo Alvarado Garcia, with Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency.
According to Alvarado Garcia, the Gardner family went to a restaurant off-site from the resort where they were staying on March 20. When they returned, they felt sick. The hotel medical team treated them and gave them medicine, Alvarado Garcia said, though didn't elaborate.
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WATCH HERE"Was it a medicine they gave him that triggered something? Or was it an underlying condition he had that was triggered by what he ate or the medicine they gave him? We won’t know until we know all of the results from the tests," Alvarado Garcia said.
Different samples have been sent for further testing — though results (toxicology, histology, neuropathology) could take two to three months, Alvarado Garcia said. Tests were also sent to the University of Costa Rica to determine if there could have been any sort of allergic reaction to the medication or the food. Other underlying causes and conditions that could have been triggered have not been ruled out, as well.
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SIGN UP All four members of the family were treated by the hotel team. To his knowledge, Alvarado Garcia said, the others are healthy at this point.
The Gardners have said they “have so many questions and so few answers at this point.”
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“Miller was a beloved son and brother and we cannot yet comprehend our life without his infectious smile," Jessica and Brett Gardner said in the release. “He loved football, baseball, golf, hunting, fishing, his family and his friends. He lived life to the fullest every single day.”
The Yankees said the organization was “filled with grief.”
“Words feel insignificant and insufficient in trying to describe such an unimaginable loss,” the team said in its statement. "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.”
Brett Gardner, 41, was drafted by the Yankees in 2005 and spent his entire big league career with the organization. The speedy outfielder batted .256 with 139 homers, 578 RBIs, 274 steals and 73 triples in 14 seasons from 2008-2021.
