FBI Is Involved in the Investigation of Death of Brett Gardner’s Son Miller Gardner (Exclusive)

The FBI is involved in the investigation of the death of Brett Gardner’s son Miller Gardner, Us Weekly can confirm.

A source tells Us that the FBI is working in conjunction with Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department (OIJ) and the Costa Rican Fire Department. The insider adds that they’re at the hotel in Manuel Antonio.

In a statement to Us, OIJ’s General Director explained: “The entire investigation has involved close coordination with the FBI in the United States. And we must now wait for the final results from forensic toxicology to determine exactly what caused the young man’s death.”

Miller died last month while on vacation with his family in Costa Rica. He was 14 years old.

“With heavy hearts, we are saddened to announce the passing of our youngest son, Miller. He was 14 years old and has left us far too soon after falling ill along with several other family members while on vacation,” Brett, 41, and his wife, Jessica Gardner, wrote in a statement shared via the New York Yankees’ X account in March. “We have so many questions and so few answers at this point, but we do know that he passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of Friday, March 21st.”

The Gardner family was staying at the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort when Miller died. After news broke of Miller’s shocking death, a preliminary cause of death was ruled to be asphyxia “after a possible intoxication after apparently ingesting some food” by the OIJ. Asphyxia has since been ruled out as a possible cause of death.

On Monday, March 31, news broke that “high levels of carbon monoxide contamination” were detected in the family’s hotel room as part of testing carried out by a “specialized hazardous atmosphere team” from the Fire Department and forensic engineering performed by OIJ investigators.

“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,” the OIJ official theorized to Us.

Dr. Maikel Vargas-Sanabria, a forensic pathologist and professor at the University of Costa Rica who is not associated with the case, has tried to shed light on the possible mix-up of food and carbon monoxide poisoning as potential causes of death.

“In carbon monoxide poisoning, there are also symptoms within minutes that can cause death. So, for these two conditions to be confused, the food poisoning would have to be an anaphylactic-type reaction — in other words, fulminant — involving something the person is highly allergic to, like peanuts or other allergens,” Vargas-Sanabria said.

The hotel, meanwhile, released a statement to Us about the OIJ’s findings, “We deeply regret the recent death of a minor at our facilities due to unconfirmed causes. We express our sincere condolences to the child’s family and loved ones in this time of immense grief.”

“We are respectfully and diligently collaborating with the Costa Rican judicial authorities, who have assumed the corresponding investigation,” the statement continued. “We trust that the forensic process will objectively, clearly, and conclusively clarify the real causes of this unfortunate incident. For the time being, the investigation will continue with the analysis of the various theories put forward by the judicial authorities.”