Carbon monoxide tragedy: Baseball star's son dies in Costa Rica
Police officers in Costa Rica are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the teenage son of baseball legend Brett Gardner. The 14-year-old was found dead while on holiday. According to the New York Yankees star, the teenager died from food poisoning. However, the officers acknowledge that the cause of death was different.
Miller Gardner was on holiday in Costa Rica with his parents. The 14-year-old was found dead on Friday, 21 March, in a room at the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort in Manuel Antonio.
The teenager was the son of Brett Gardner, an international baseball star and one of the best players in New York Yankees history. The family of the deceased 14-year-old believed it was due to food poisoning.
According to the teenager's family, a spoiled meal in one of the restaurants was thought to have led to organ failure and, consequently, death. However, Costa Rican authorities ruled out this version.
It turned out that the boy was poisoned by carbon monoxide. This was confirmed by a specialised examination of the room where the teenager stayed.
Next to the family's apartment is a specialised machinery room, which led to the contamination. The carbon monoxide produced there could have entered the guest rooms, potentially causing the incident, stated Randall Zúñiga, the general director of the Costa Rican police.
The official cause of the 14-year-old's death is not yet confirmed, as investigators await toxicological results. However, they have deemed carbon monoxide poisoning "highly probable." The detected contamination was far above the allowable norm. Authorities reported that the boy died in his sleep.
