The Costa Rica resort town where Miller Gardner died last week is on edge as questions linger about the 14-year-old’s death.
“It’s a hard topic,” a hotel bartender in the tourist region of Manuel Antonio told the New York Post on Wednesday, March 26. “Everyone is worried because someone — a chef or someone who made the food — could go to jail. People are talking about it.”
The bartender added, “Everyone in town is nervous.”
Miller and his family — including his father, Brett Gardner, a former star for the New York Yankees, his mother, Jessica Gardner, and his older brother, Hunter, 16 — were staying at the Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort, which is where he was found dead in his hotel room on Friday, March 21.
Death of Brett Gardner’s 14-Year-Old Son Miller: What We Know and What We Still Need Answered
Since his untimely death, the resort has distanced themselves from the incident, telling TMZ Sports on Tuesday, March 25, that the Gardner family did not eat at any of their restaurants for lunch or dinner the day before Miller died.
In a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, the resort said it was “deeply saddened” by Miller’s death.
Courtesy of Hunter Gardner/Instagram
“The factors that led to this tragic incident are unknown, and we are fully cooperating with authorities as they investigate,” the hotel added.
Another resort in town, Hotel La Mariposa, also spoke out after it was revealed that the Gardner family had eaten at one of their restaurants, Le Papillon, shortly before Miller’s death.
“Due to misinformation circulating on social media, we would like to clarify that the Gardner family dined at our restaurant, Le Papillon, on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 18, 2025 — three days before Miller’s tragic passing,” the hotel posted via Facebook on Monday, March 24. “Any claims suggesting a link between our restaurant and this heartbreaking event are entirely false and unfounded.”
The statement continued, “Any news, statements, or claims to the contrary do not reflect the reality of the situation. Furthermore, we do not have any additional information, as the Gardner family did not stay at our hotel.”
Miller’s cause of death remains unknown. Authorities listed his preliminary cause of death as asphyxia “after a possible intoxication after apparently ingesting some food.”
Ex-Yankee Brett Gardner’s Son Miller Was Following In His Athletic Footsteps Before His Death at 14
A representative from Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) told CNN on Tuesday that Miller’s cause of death was “asphyxiation due to intoxication related to food poisoning.”
However, a journalist affiliated with OIJ told Us Weekly that asphyxia had been entirely ruled out as the cause.
The night before he died, Miller’s entire family reportedly became sick with “severe” symptoms and were all treated with medication on their resort’s premises. Miller was found dead the following morning.
Miller’s toxicology and autopsy results are expected to take “at least two to three months” due to an outbreak of violent crime among drug gangs in Costa Rica, the OIJ said on Wednesday.
