Miller Gardner may have died of carbon monoxide poisoning, official says
Miller Gardner may have died from carbon monoxide poisoning after tests revealed elevated levels of the potentially lethal gas in the hotel room he had been staying in, according to Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency, or OIJ.
Gardner, the youngest son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, died March 21 at the age of 14 while on vacation with his family. According to a statement from the Gardners, he died in his sleep after he and several other family members fell ill.
OIJ Director Rándall Zúñiga said Monday that a team testing the family's hotel room found high levels of carbon monoxide, and that the room where they stayed was situated next to "a specialized machine room" that could have caused the contamination. The test results led the OIJ's investigators to believe Gardner "may have died from inhaling these highly dangerous gases," Zúñiga said in a video statement in Spanish.
"It is also important to highlight that this entire investigation has been closely coordinated with the United States FBI, and we await the final results of the forensic toxicology to determine exactly what caused this young man's death," Zúñiga said.
The hotel in a statement Monday told CBS News, "We are heartbroken by the tragic loss that recently occurred on our premises due to causes that have not yet been confirmed. We are diligently cooperating with the Costa Rican judicial authorities, who have taken over the investigation. We trust that the forensic process will objectively, clearly, and conclusively clarify the causes of this unfortunate incident."
"Out of respect for the ongoing judicial process and the family's privacy, we will refrain from commenting on any unconfirmed hypotheses or possible causes," the hotel added. "Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our guests and staff, and we reaffirm our ongoing commitment to the highest operational standards within our facilities."
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is produced when fossil fuels are burned. Cars, furnaces, stoves, certain heaters and generators can all produce carbon monoxide. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning may include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and confusion.
An official cause of death has yet to be determined. OIJ previously said autopsy results could take two to three months.
The Gardners were vacationing at the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort in Manuel Antonio, which is along Costa Rica's Pacific coast, some 50 miles south of San José.
The family did not provide further details about who else had gotten sick or what symptoms they experienced.
OIJ had said earlier in the investigation that the cause of death may have been food poisoning, but the investigation was ongoing.
The update on a possible cause of death comes days after authorities in Belize said three American women who were found dead in their hotel room in the country last month had died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Freed Israeli hostages call for end to war, to bring remaining Gaza hostages home
What is the future of the Kennedy Center?
Elton John, Brandi Carlile on their dream collaboration
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
32 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Court hearing set on Trump's use of National Guard and Marines to help with immigration raids in LA
Advertisement The Trump administration called the lawsuit a 'crass political stunt endangering American lives' in its official response on Wednesday. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The Democratic governor argued the troops were originally deployed to protect federal buildings and said sending troops to help support immigration raids would only promote civil unrest. The protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles intensified after Trump called up the National Guard and have since spread to other cities, including Boston, Chicago and Seattle. Federal immigration agents have been arresting people at Home Depot parking lots and other businesses, sparking fear in immigrant communities, after the Trump administration said it wanted to dramatically increase arrests under its immigration crackdown. Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. Advertisement Most demonstrations have been peaceful but this weekend some turned raucous with protesters setting cars on fire in downtown Los Angeles. The city has imposed a nightly curfew covering a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section where protests have occurred in the sprawling metropolis of 4 million people. The Marines have not yet been spotted in Los Angeles and Guard troops have had limited engagement with protesters. Newsom filed the motion Tuesday, the same day the military announced some members of the National Guard were now standing in protection around federal agents. The change moves troops closer to engaging in law enforcement actions like deportations as Trump has promised as part of his administration's immigration crackdown. The Guard has the authority to temporarily detain people who attack officers but any arrests ultimately would be made by law enforcement. Senior U.S. District Judge Charles R. Breyer chose not to rule immediately but set the hearing for Thursday in federal court in San Francisco. Dozens of mayors from across the Los Angeles region banded together Wednesday to demand the raids stop and the troops leave.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Valley father detained by ICE while driving to work sparks protest for release
Around 100 people gathered in central Phoenix on June 8, 2025, at an event organized by the Phoenix chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation to call for the release of Joel Gutierrez, an undocumented man taken by ICE agents last week, and to protest Trump's immigration policies. Photo by Emily Holshouser | Arizona Mirror In the early hours of June 4, 48-year-old Joel Gutierrez was driving his coworker to a home they were renovating in Phoenix when their work van was stopped by U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement officers. Agents pulled Gutierrez and his coworker out of the van and arrested them. ICE agents scattered Neatly stacked papers and a packed lunchbox throughout the car. Gutierrez was taken to the Central Arizona Florence Detention Center, where he remains today. His coworker was arrested, too. Both men are undocumented. On June 8, around 100 people gathered at University Park on Van Buren Street just west of downtown Phoenix at an event organized by the Phoenix chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation to call for Gutierrez's release and protest the Trump administration's sweeping and aggressive immigration policies. 'My dad is honestly the best person there is,' Gutierrez's daughter, Denise, 19, told the crowd. 'He is the sweetest, most understanding person, and he truly does not deserve to be where he is right now.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Gutierrez's detention comes at a time when the Trump administration has ordered ICE to boost deportation numbers by focusing their efforts on largely law-abiding immigrants, which has spurred a slew of workplace raids and targeting people seeking relief in immigration courts. During his campaign, President Trump promised to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, calling it the 'largest domestic deportation operation in American history.' The administration's plans have ramped up throughout the year, with a new plan taking shape in recent weeks to deport 'the worst first' in the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Since January, according to federal data, ICE has arrested over 26,000 people. The agency says 995 of those arrests have taken place in Phoenix. Across the country, ICE has carried out raids at workplaces and immigration courts. On June 7, a workplace raid at a Home Depot in the working-class Los Angeles enclave of Paramount set off a weekend of intense and chaotic protests. Trump has since seized operational control of the California National Guard and deployed 4,000 soldiers to the city, as well as several hundred U.S. Marines. Denise said that her father believes he was profiled because of his work van. Joel told his family later that he noticed ICE officers following him before he was stopped. 'He has one of those big white vans that you see everywhere, and they simply stopped him because they saw the van,' Denise said at the protest. 'They assumed that there's probably someone in there who doesn't have legal status.' Gutierrez unsuccessfully attempted to earn citizenship several times, but remained in the country with his family, Denise said. Joel came to the United States from Mexico with Denise's mother in 2000, when they were in their early 20s. They settled in Mesa to start a life. Joel and his wife had four children — two immigrated from Mexico, but two were born here and are United States citizens. Their youngest is a nine-year-old boy. 'My nine-year-old little brother and my dad are very close, because that's his only boy,' Denise said. 'They play soccer almost every day, and right now, this is a situation that we never thought we would have to live in.' The crowd marched from the park to the Arizona Capitol building, Phoenix Police Department cars and motorcycles lurking around every corner. The group eventually arrived back at the park. 'I'm just sick and tired of seeing my people be taken away for no reason,' said Marilyn Ramos, 24, as she marched with the crowd. 'I feel like, if they're really criminals, why are they going after people out at the workplace? … It's giving Hitler, and I don't like that.' As these raids ramp up in other cities including Miami, Chicago, and New York, local advocacy groups are concerned that Phoenix could be next. On Monday, several local groups announced that ICE raids were planned in Phoenix throughout the week, and warned immigrant communities to be on alert. 'Community organizations have received credible information that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may be conducting mass workplace raids in the Phoenix area this week,' Puente Arizona said in a written statement. 'Particularly targeting businesses that have previously been audited for employing undocumented workers.' In January, Trump signed an executive order that greatly expanded the expedited removal process, reviving a 2019 program that fast-tracked deportations for immigrants, oftentimes without any due process. In late May, ICE agents detained more than a dozen people outside the Phoenix immigration court across two days as part of the Trump administration's crackdown. Denise said on Sunday that Joel is being held in an overcrowded facility with poor treatment and little food. 'They're moving my dad to a different part of the facility because of how insanely crowded it is,' Denise told the Mirror on June 9. 'They don't get any time outside. It's really terrible, and that's what makes it really hard on my dad.' There is no publicly available data on the Florence facility's capacity and current population. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not answer emailed questions. Several of the rally-goers spoke about their personal experiences with immigration and expressed deep concern that Phoenix could be targeted. 'This system is barbaric, yet it is exactly how it's designed,' said Dania Duran, an organizer with PSL. 'Both Republicans and Democrats have demonized immigrants as a tool to incite fear in people and a tool to make themselves richer.' A GoFundMe for the family has raised over $5,000, which will go towards legal fees and paying bills that Joel was primarily responsible for. 'My sisters and I have been doing everything possible to kind of get our story out there, because this really is terrible, and it's not just happening to our family,' Denise said. 'It's happening all over the United States right now, to multiple families, people with different stories than ours.' Phoenix-area immigration advocacy groups were advising community members on Tuesday to avoid areas that may be targeted for deportations and to know their legal rights. 'We are asking people at risk of deportation to stay away from places where confirmed raids are happening and other high risk areas if they can,' said Casey Clowes, a spokesperson for the nonprofit advocacy group Progress Arizona in a written statement. 'We are calling on allies to report ICE activity to the Phoenix Hotline by calling or texting (480) 506-7437 and get trained in Migra Watch so you can safely and peacefully bear witness and document ICE's actions.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Woman allegedly opens fire into occupied apartment in Brooklyn: NYPD
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — The NYPD is searching for a woman accused of opening fire into an occupied apartment in Brooklyn on May 26. The incident happened around 2:45 a.m. in front of 327 Warwick Street. More Local News The suspect allegedly fired into the apartment before fleeing on foot, heading east on Liberty Avenue, police say. No injuries were reported. The woman, pictured below, was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, and black Crocs. Anyone with information is asked to contact the police. Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
