Costa Rican prosecutors on Sept. 12 carried out a three-hour search at the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort as part of an investigation into the March death of 14-year-old Miller Gardner, the son of former New York Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner.
Agents from Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department (OIJ) entered the resort in three pickup trucks and conducted what authorities described as the first formal search of the property since a week after Miller Gardner's death. Prosecutor Kenneth Alvarez told ESPN the operation was intended to collect additional evidence after initial toxicology measurements at the site.
Alvarez said investigators searched management, maintenance and accounting offices and removed both physical and digital material. Several members of hotel staff were interviewed during the raid, he added. Alvarez said the probe is focusing on a possible allegation of manslaughter but that no arrests or charges had been filed.
Miller Gardner was discovered not breathing on the morning of March 21 after the family reported becoming ill during a vacation at the resort. The family announced the boy's death through the Yankees on March 23, saying, "With heavy hearts we are saddened to announce the passing of our youngest son, Miller." The family said several members had fallen ill following dinner at an outside restaurant the night before they woke up feeling ill.
In early April, the OIJ’s then-general director, Randall Zuniga, said an investigation had determined carbon monoxide exposure had killed the teenager. "Concentrations above 50% are already lethal. In this case, the saturation percentage is higher, thus proving the police's hypothesis that the death was due to exposure to carbon monoxide," Zuniga said. He also said other drug tests, including for fentanyl, were negative.
The resort has contested claims that carbon monoxide was present in the family’s room. A spokesperson for Arenas Del Mar said in April that "the levels in the hotel room were non-existent and non-lethal. There was an error in this initial reporting." The spokesperson added that toxic fumes had been detected in a mechanical room that guests do not occupy and that the family’s room had been cordoned off as a precaution.
Costa Rican authorities did not provide an immediate timeline for when the new evidence gathered during the Sept. 12 search will be reviewed or whether it will lead to formal charges. Prosecutors have previously described the matter as under active investigation.
Brett Gardner played his entire major league career with the New York Yankees from 2008 until his retirement in 2021 and was a member of the 2009 World Series–winning team. The family has not issued a public statement since the initial announcement in March.
The OIJ raid marks the most significant on-site investigative action since the early stages of the probe and comes as prosecutors continue to examine the circumstances surrounding the Gardners' illness and Miller’s death. Authorities said the search was aimed at obtaining additional documentation and material to support forensic and toxicological analysis as the inquiry proceeds.