The body of tragic Miller Gardner could be held in Costa Rica for at least another 10 days as his grief-stricken baseball legend father Brett and mom Jessica battle red tape, DailyMail.com can exclusively reveal.
American citizens who die in the Central American country are repatriated following a process that includes using a funeral home on a list provided by the US Embassy in capital San Jose.
All the businesses are contacted for a repatriation financial estimate by the diplomatic mission and the family of the deceased then selects which company to use.
However, DailyMail.com has been told the embassy has not yet reached out to any of the firms on the list over Miller’s mystery death while on vacation with New York Yankees hall of famer Brett and family.
In any case, repatriation approval still takes at least ten days after the family has made its choice due to strict protocols and form-filling.
The possible time lag piles on the anguish for the Gardners, already facing a three-month wait for their son’s cause of death because a murderous drugs gang war in Costa Rica is causing a severe delay in autopsy findings.
The body of Miller Gardner could be held in Costa Rica for at least another 10 days due to the slow moving procedures required by authorities
Miller Gardner (second right) died over the weekend, his parents Brett and Jessica announced. The family is also battling his delayed autopsy due to the country’s high homicide rate from gang violence
‘We know about the Miller case because obviously it’s big news,’ said Karina Delgado, of Montesacro funeral home in downtown San Jose, which is on the embassy list of five options.
‘When a foreign national dies in Costa Rica, all those on the list are asked for an estimate on retrieving the body from the morgue, preparing it for transportation and helping to handle the necessary paperwork.
‘We have not been contacted in the case of this young man, which would mean no one has yet.’ Other funeral homes on the list also confirmed to DailyMail.com they were not yet handling the tragic teen.
Miller was discovered not breathing in his room while on a family vacation at the luxurious Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort in Manuel Antonio on Friday morning last week.
The tragedy happened after Brett, Jessica, Miller and older son Hunter, 16, all suffered severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea following dinner at an outside restaurant the night before.
Desperate medics battled in vain for 30 minutes to try to kickstart 14-year-old Miller’s heart after he was found by a frantic family member who raised the alarm, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed.
Miller was discovered not breathing in his room while on a family vacation at the luxurious Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort in Manuel Antonio on Friday morning last week
His body is being held at the Judicial Investigation Agency’s forensic medical clinical section at San Joaquin de Floris, just outside San Jose following an autopsy.
‘It’s usually at least ten days before a body is released after any estimate is approved and we get the go-ahead,’ said Delgado. ‘We are in charge of picking up a body and the embassy sends legal letters authorizing it.
‘It’s a lengthy process. You have to go through all the permits from the Ministry of Health, then the family also had to select a funeral home in the United States to receive the body. There is also the co-ordination of the flight back.
‘In general, families usually return to the United States and wait for the body to arrive. Occasionally they might stay and accompany it.’
A medical center crash team fought to give Miller ‘advanced life support, full on series of CPR, for 30 minutes but was unsuccessful,’ boss Dr Kevin Gannon revealed to DailyMail.com.
Speaking at his urgent care center in Quepos, Dr Gannon continued: ‘He was clinically dead. He had no vital signs, but we had no idea how long he’d been in that state so we got to work because everything was so unclear.
The US Embassy uses a list of five funeral directors in Costa Rica iin the case of Americans dying while in Costa Rica
The tragedy happened after Brett, Jessica, Miller and older son Hunter, 16, all suffered severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea following dinner at an outside restaurant the night before
‘If he’d been like that for only, say a few minutes, there would have been a chance of saving him.’
American Dr. Gannon said his team at first tried a defibrillator but Miller showed no signs of recovery. So they quickly worked on chest compressions and ensuring his airways were clear.
He said he was not the physician on the scene so he could not say if adrenaline was administered intravenously, which is another common feature of crash starting a person’s heart.
However, after 30 minutes it was decided the battle was in vain and Miller was declared dead by the team, consisting of a physician, a nurse and an EMT driver.
‘We called the authorities and we stayed with the body until they arrived and took over. Our physician dealt with the family members.
On any clues to the cause of death, Dr Gannon said: ‘It’s still a mystery. We as a clinic and as first responders have the same questions as everyone else at the moment. Because everything is so unclear.
The Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort where Miller’s body was found
The entire Gardner family became ill the night before Miller was found dead. A new theory brought forward by the country’s medical experts is the 14-year-old may have had an adverse reaction to the medicine the resort doctor brought to their room to combat their symptoms
‘There are so many questions. It was overwhelming for everyone, all the family members, the hotel… it was very shocking.
‘There are people who are saying he had an allergic reaction to medication that was given to him the previous evening, or medication given by the treating team… everyone’s in the air with that.’
Meanwhile, DailyMail.com has exclusively revealed that police are still returning to the $1,000-a-night resort to interview shocked staff.
Anxious bosses have ordered workers not to reveal any details of the tragedy to outsiders and only talk to investigators.
But one source revealed: ‘Officers are returning to ask a lot of questions.
‘This has hit the resort hard because we have a reputation for really looking after people. We’ll accommodate many things, like special diets and treatment.
The Gardner family were staying at the $900-a-night Arenas Del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort in Manuel Antonio
The Yankees paid tribute to Brett Gardner’s late son Miller before their MLB season opener on Thursday
Read More
EXCLUSIVE
Tragic final moments of Yankees legend's son revealed as doctors battled to save teen's life
‘Additionally, the resort has waived the charge for the Gardners’ stay in view of their tragic circumstances and that they were suffering so much.’
DailyMail.com exclusively revealed the couple’s agony over their son’s autopsy results being delayed by months due to the narco war, where bodies are piling up in a chilling spike in homicides.
Juan Pablo Alvarado Garcia, of the Judicial Investigations Agency, admitted to us in an exclusive interview at his office in San Jose on Tuesday: ‘We’re having a hike in homicides as these drug gangs battle for territory and every one of them needs an autopsy.
‘I can confirm that an autopsy has been carried out on Miller, But the full analysis and results, as in every one of them, will take at least two to three months due to these constant killings causing a backlog of cases. That’s the reality.’
Costa Rica has had nearly 1,800 homicides in the past two years, nearly 17 for every 100,000 of the population.
Most murders were attributed to narco-trafficking groups, with one report claiming 63 percent of the killings were carried out by hitmen settling scores.
Miller’s body is being held at the Judicial Investigation Agency’s forensic medical clinical section at San Joaquin de Floris, just outside San Jose following an autopsy
Juan Pablo Alvarado Garcia from Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigations Agency said a doctor was called to the Arenas del Mar resort after all four Gardners were stricken with sickness
Of the fateful events surrounding Miller, Alvarado said a doctor was called to the Arenas del Mar resort immediately after all four Gardners were stricken with sickness. She gave them all medication to combat the symptoms.
But in a startling new development, he revealed medical experts are now probing whether Miller might have had a bad or allergic reaction to any drugs they were given to alleviate the sudden sickness.
‘We’re doing toxicology tests to determine if this medicine could have caused the death,’ he told DailyMail.com.
He also said they were probing if Miller brought an existing bacterial infection with him after traveling to the Pacific coast resort from the family home in Summerville, South Carolina.
The senior official said there was no indication the death was due to recreational drugs or alcohol.
In a scenario of shifting explanations, Alvarado told DailyMail.com that investigators had discounted a previously touted possible cause of death of asphyxiation following ‘possible food poisoning’.
The family have not been able to pick the body up yet because they are still waiting for all the procedures required by the US Embassy
Gardner spent his entire Major League Baseball career as an outfielder with the Yankees
Brett and Jessica Gardner first announced their son’s death over the weekend through the NY Yankees social media accounts
However, he also revealed that food samples from where the Gardners dined on Thursday, March 20, have been taken for analysis. If food is found to be a factor in the death, there could be a prosecution involving the restaurant, Alvarado added.
Brett and Jessica Gardner first announced their son’s death over the weekend in a heartbreaking statement.
‘With heavy hearts we are saddened to announce the passing of our youngest son, Miller,’ they wrote.
‘He was 14 years old and has left us far too soon after falling ill along with several other family members while on vacation.
‘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.
Gardner, 41, played 14 seasons with the Yankees between 2008 and 2021 and was part of their 2009 World Series-winning team. He was an American League All-Star in 2015 and won a Gold Glove in 2016.