Body of Yankees Alum Brett Gardner's son Miller Released to Family

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Miller Gardner Case: Authorities Update Teen’s Cause of Death After Preliminary Ruling

Miller Gardner’s assemblage has been returned to his loved ones.

Five days aft the 14-year-old lad of erstwhile New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner and his woman Jessica Gardner was found dormant during a household vacation to Costa Rica, Costa Rican Judicial Investigations Police confirmed to E! News that the Forensic Medicine Office released Miller’s assemblage to his family. However, his official origin of decease remains pending.

Amid the shocking tragedy, authorities connected the land person been investigating the teen’s last days and moving to find precisely what led to his death. Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (JIA) has since told NBC News that they person ruled retired some asphyxia and the involvement of recreational drugs oregon alcohol.

In fact, the JIA has shared that each 4 Gardner household members, including Miller’s 16-year-old member Hunter, whitethorn person gotten sick hours earlier the teen’s death. After going to a edifice extracurricular of their hotel, bureau spokesperson Juan Pablo Alvarado Garcia told NBC News that a aesculapian squad astatine the edifice treated the full family.

The adjacent morning, Miller’s assemblage was found, according to officials, with vomit successful his rima and nose.

"Was it a medicine they gave him that triggered something,” Juan told NBC News March 25. “Or was it an underlying information helium had that was triggered by what helium ate oregon the medicine they gave him? We won’t cognize until we cognize each of the results from the tests.”

And it could beryllium immoderate clip earlier Miller’s autopsy results are disposable arsenic the JIA has said that, due to a precocious fig of murders successful the area, it is expected to instrumentality astatine slightest a fewer months.

“We're having a hike successful homicides arsenic these cause gangs conflict for territory,” Juan precocious told DailyMail.com, “and each 1 of them needs an autopsy.”

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“I tin corroborate that an autopsy has been carried retired connected Miller,” helium added, “but the afloat investigation and results, arsenic successful each 1 of them, volition instrumentality astatine slightest 2 to 3 months owed to these changeless killings causing a backlog of cases. That's the reality.”

Meanwhile, the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort wherever the household was vacationing shared their condolences for the Gardner’s abrupt nonaccomplishment and expressed their afloat enactment successful helping them get answers, portion besides denying work for the family’s illnesses.

“We are profoundly saddened by this loss, and our hearts spell retired to the household during this incredibly hard time,” a typical for the edifice said successful a March 25 connection to People. “The factors that led to this tragic incidental are unknown, and we are afloat cooperating with authorities arsenic they investigate.”

For much details surrounding Miller Gardner’s death, support reading.

(E! and NBC News are some portion of the NBCUniversal family.)

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Miller and his member Hunter were raised successful South Carolina.

Despite Brett Gardner spending his full MLB vocation arsenic a subordinate of the New York Yankees, the outfielder and his woman Jessica Clendenin Gardner—who tied the knot successful 2007—kept their sons Hunter and Miller mostly retired of the nationalist oculus successful South Carolina.

Still, they occasionally stepped retired successful enactment of their dad’s career, attending the CCandy Children's Clothing Line Launch astatine MLB Fan Cave successful New York successful 2013.

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Miller was known to unrecorded "life to the fullest each azygous day.” 

In a connection announcing his tragic death, Miller’s household described the 14-year-old arsenic having an “infectious smile” and idiosyncratic who “lived beingness to the fullest each azygous day.”

He was likewise remembered by the New York Yankees successful a March 2025 statement, who emphasized Miller’s “outgoing and feisty personality.”

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Miller was pursuing his begetter Brett’s footsteps.

Like his dad, Miller was athletic, though successful summation to baseball, helium besides took up football, golf, sportfishing and hunting. In a TikTok station helium shared earlier this year, helium emphasized his emotion for shot by sharing photos of himself connected the field, adding, "Miss it."

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Miller made an interaction connected the New York Yankees.  

In a March 2025 connection by the Yankees confirming Miller’s death, the organization—for whom Brett played from 2008 to 2021—remembered the teen for the "spark successful his eyes" arsenic good arsenic a "warm and loving nature.”

The squad continued successful their statement, "It wasn't conscionable Brett who virtually grew up successful this enactment for much than 17 years—so did his wife, Jessica, and their 2 boys."

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The Gardner household is inactive looking for answers aft Miller’s abrupt death.

In a connection shared by Brett’s erstwhile team, the outfielder and his household shared that aft Miller and others had fallen sick portion connected vacation, the 14-year-old passed "peacefully successful his slumber the greeting of Friday, March 21."

"Miller was a beloved lad and brother,” they wrote, “and we cannot yet comprehend our beingness without his infectious smile."

And amid their grief, the Gardner household expressed however they are inactive trying to find what happened. As they added successful their statement, "We person truthful galore questions and truthful fewer answers astatine this point."

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U.S. Embassy successful Costa Rica confirms wherefore the Gardner household was successful the country.

The time aft Brett and Jessica revealed that Miller had died, the U.S. Embassy of Costa Rica told Inside Edition that the household was vacationing successful the Central American state for outpouring interruption astatine the clip of his death.

The Embassy besides confirmed that it was successful discussions with the Gardner household astir transporting Miller’s assemblage backmost to the U.S.

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Costa Rican officials merchandise Miller's preliminary origin of death.

One time aft Brett and Jessica announced the abrupt passing of Miller, Costa Rican officials said the teen apt died from suffocation aft perchance ingesting a toxic substance.

“Preliminarily, seemingly the mode of decease would beryllium by asphyxia aft a imaginable intoxication aft seemingly ingesting immoderate food,” an Organismo de Investigación Judicial spokesperson told NBC News successful a connection translated from Spanish. “At the infinitesimal it is simply a decease nether probe and is awaiting the results of the autopsy, arsenic good arsenic the investigation of the Toxicology Section, to find the nonstop origin of death.”

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Miller's origin of decease arsenic suffocation is ruled out.

However, authorities soon ruled retired suffocation arsenic his origin of death, due to the fact that they did not find immoderate obstruction successful his airways. 

They shared alternatively that Miller—as good arsenic his parents and sibling—had fallen sick connected March 20 aft returning to their edifice from a restaurant, agency spokesperson Juan Pablo Alvarado Garcia told NBC News March 25. Hotel aesculapian staffers treated each 4 household members earlier Miller's assemblage was recovered successful his country the adjacent morning. 

The probe is ongoing and pending aesculapian trial results.

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The edifice where Miller died released a statement.

Two days aft the Gardner household announced Miller's death, the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort wherever the household was vacationing successful Costa Rica shared their condolences.

“We are profoundly saddened by this loss, and our hearts spell retired to the household during this incredibly hard time,” a typical for the edifice said successful a March 25 connection to People. “The factors that led to this tragic incidental are unknown, and we are afloat cooperating with authorities arsenic they investigate.”

The edifice added, “We stay committed to supporting our guests and staff, prioritizing their well-being and safety, portion respecting the privateness of those affected.”

The edifice besides denied work for the Gardner household getting sick astatine a adjacent restaurant hours earlier Miller’s death.

"The household did not devour astatine immoderate of Arenas Del Mar’s restaurants for luncheon oregon meal the erstwhile day,” the resort’s rep continued. “Additionally, connected March 14th, we had an inspection by the Health Ministry successful which the edifice passed with a 98.5 retired of 100.”

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A Costa Rican authoritative provides aggregate large updates.

The time aft the edifice wherever the Gardner household was staying spoke out, Juan Pablo Alvarado Garcia, a spokesperson for Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency (JIA), confirmed that Miller's autopsy results volition beryllium delayed by months owed to precocious transgression successful the area.

“We're having a hike successful homicides arsenic these cause gangs conflict for territory,” he told DailyMail.com, “and each 1 of them needs an autopsy.”

He added, “I tin corroborate that an autopsy has been carried retired connected Miller, but the afloat investigation and results, arsenic successful each 1 of them, volition instrumentality astatine slightest 2 to 3 months owed to these changeless killings causing a backlog of cases. That's the reality.”

Alvarado Garcia did confirm, though, that determination was nary denotation Miller's decease was a effect of recreational drugs oregon alcohol.

Though the results volition beryllium delayed, the authoritative explained that, since “all the samples necessary” had been taken for Miller’s autopsy, his assemblage “can beryllium repatriated to the United States,” however, the Gardner family has been held up by the U.S. Embassy successful Costa Rica’s processing of their request.

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New York Yankees wage tribute to Miller.

During their Opening Day 2025 festivities March 27, Brett's erstwhile squad took a infinitesimal of soundlessness to grant Miller.

During the tribute, players stood with their hats removed on the borderline of the shot diamond astatine Yankee Stadium portion a representation of Miller smiling was shown connected the large screen. Accompanying the drawback were the words “Remembering Miller Gardner.”

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