Miller Gardner can have died of carbon monoxide poisoning after tests revealed high levels of potentially deadly gas in the hotel room in which he stayed, according to the Costa Rica judicial investigation agency, or OIJ.
Gardner, the youngest son of the former New York Brett Gardner New Yorkees Voltueur, Died March 21 At the age of 14 on vacation with his family. According to a Gardners, he died in his sleep after he and several other family members fell ill.
The director of the OIJ, Rándall Zúñiga, said on Monday that a team testing the family’s hotel room had found high levels of carbon monoxide and that the room where they stayed was located next to “a specialized machine room” which could have caused contamination. The test results have led the OIJ investigators to believe that Gardner “can be dead by inhaling these very dangerous gases,” said Zúñiga in a video declaration in Spanish.
“It is also important to emphasize that this whole investigation was closely coordinated with the FBI of the United States, and we await the final results of medico-legal toxicology to determine exactly what caused the death of this young man,” said Zúñiga.
The hotel in a press release said on Monday at CBS News: “We have a heart broken by the tragic loss which recently occurred in our premises because of causes which have not yet been confirmed. Differently cooperating with the Costa Rican Judicial Authorities, who have taken over the causes of this judicial incident.”
“Out of respect for the current judicial process and the privacy of the family, ourselves abstain from commenting on any unconfirmed hypothesis or possible causes,” added the hotel. “Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our guests and our staff, and we reaffirm our continuous commitment to the highest operational standards of our facilities.”
Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas product when fossil fuels are burned. Cars, ovens, stoves, some radiators and generators can all produce carbon monoxide. Symptoms Carbon monoxide poisoning can include headaches, dizzy, nausea, vomiting and confusion.
An official cause of death has not yet been determined. OIJ previously said that the results of the autopsy could take two to three months.
The Gardners were on vacation at Arenas del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort in Manuel Antonio, which is along the Coast of the Pacific of Costa Rica, about 80 kilometers south of San José.
The family did not provide more details on whom others had fallen ill or the symptoms they felt.
Oij had declared earlier in the investigation that the cause of death may have been food poisoning, but the investigation was underway.
The update on a possible cause of death comes a few days after the Belize authorities said that three American women who had been found dead in their hotel room in the country last month carbon monoxide poisoning.
