The mysterious death of a Manhattan-based swimwear designer aboard a yacht is drawing fresh questions after new details surfaced about her final hours.
Authorities discovered the body of Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra on a vessel at the Montauk Yacht Club, based in the Hamptons on the Long Island peninsula, just after midnight on August 5. The cause of her death remained inconclusive following a post-mortem.
According to a new account in the Daily Mail, the 33-year-old Irishwoman had gone to the marina on August 4 for a late-night meeting with Christopher Durnan.
The 60-year-old insurance executive had reportedly invested $200,000 in Nolan-O’Slatarra’s brand.
Hours before she died, the fashion entrepreneur phoned her boyfriend, 34-year-old sales exec Nicholas DiRubio, saying she’d get an Uber car and be home around 1 a.m.
But witnesses told the Mail that Durnan was seen sprinting naked along the dock around midnight, yelling for help, before bystanders boarded the boat in a failed attempt to administer CPR.
Photos published by the outlet appear to show a dusting of white powder on a seat onboard the yacht.
While police said an initial post-mortem examination “did not show evidence of violence and her final cause of death is pending further investigation,” unidentified sources have told the Mail that Nolan-O’Slatarra likely suffered a suspected drug overdose, possibly cocaine.
Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family, represented by criminal defense attorney Arthur Aidala, has demanded a second autopsy that would include toxicology and histology tests.
Homicide detectives from Suffolk County are leading the probe while toxicology tests are pending, although results reportedly could take three months.
“People are still being questioned,” Aidala told the Mail.
Durnan’s vessels are said to include boats named after Grateful Dead songs. Ripple, the 50ft cabin cruiser upon which Nolan-O’Slatarra was found, features the band’s ‘Steal Your Face’ lightning bolt inside a skull emblem.
The Durnan Group, specialising in workers’ compensation insurance—was founded in 1981 by his parents. Durnan had named a second boat Hell in a Bucket. Both have been sailed out of the club following the incident, the Mail reported, but it is not known where to.
The father-of-two is understood to split his time between a five-bedroom, $6 million mansion in Long Beach, N.Y., and an equally palatial home near Palm Beach, Florida.
He did not respond to requests for comment from the Mail. The Daily Beast has also requested comment from Nolan-O’Slatarra’s lawyer, Durnan’s representative, and police.
New York Supreme Court records show Nolan-O’Slatarra’s uncontested divorce from ex-husband Sam Ryan was finalized in April. Her new partner also declined to comment.
The entrepreneur, who grew up in Carlow, Ireland, launched the luxury swim and resort-wear label East x East after moving to New York in 2015.
She had opened a Hamptons pop-up in the Montauk resort and, according to relatives, was due to travel home to Ireland.
Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family has travelled from Ireland to the U.S. to take her body home once the second autopsy his complete.
“I feel numb and in shock,” her mother, Elma Nolan, said last week.
The Montauk Yacht Club, a 16-acre resort with space for 200 boats and a tennis court and two pools, was founded in 1928.
“We are saddened to learn of the tragic incident that took place. Our team is cooperating with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation and remains committed to the safety and well-being of our guests and staff. We have no further comment at this time,” a property spokesperson told The Daily Beast.
