Costa Rican authorities say Miller Gardner may have died of carbon monoxide poisoning

Miller Gardner, the 14-year-old son of Yankee legend Brett Gardner, may have died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, Costa Rican authorities announced Monday as they revealed investigators found “high levels” of the noxious gas in the family’s hotel room.

Miller suddenly died on March 21 while on vacation in Costa Rica following a mysterious bout of illness that affected multiple members of the Gardner family.

Early reports suggested that Miller likely died by asphyxiation in his sleep due to food poisoning, before that theory was ruled out.

Tests have since revealed that there were “high levels of carbon monoxide contamination” detected in the family’s hotel room, which was located adjacent to a mechanical room, Randall Zúñiga, general director of Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigative Agency (OIJ), said Monday.

“It’s also important to note that next to [the family’s] room there is a specialized machine room, from which it is believed some form of contamination may have reached the guest rooms, potentially causing the incident,” Zúñiga said in Spanish at a virtual press conference.

The investigation, which is joint effort between Costa Rica’s OIJ and the FBI, remains ongoing as officials wait for the final toxicology results, Zúñiga added.

“Nonetheless, the initial investigative findings indicate that the incident was due to this contamination, with levels as high as 600 parts per million detected — when the appropriate level in this case should be zero,” he said.

Miller’s shocking death has confounded doctors and authorities alike. The theorized cause has pivoted from asphyxiation to an allergic reaction, but nothing will be known for certain until the toxicology report is ready — which could take months.

Doctors on site the morning Miller was found unresponsive told The Post that they spent a grueling 30 minutes trying to revive the teenager. 

The Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort — where the Gardner family was staying and reportedly dined the night before the teen’s death — tried to distance itself from the tragedy following the food poisoning reports. But tourism country-wide plummeted in the wake of the high-profile death as vacationers cancelled hotel reservations left and right.

In another highly covered case just last month, three American tourists visiting Belize were found dead following “fatal exposure to carbon monoxide poisoning” in their hotel room.

Additional reporting by Jared Downing.