THE investigation into the death of a young swimsuit designer on a luxury yacht has taken a turn as new light is shed on the case.
Following growing suspicions that 33-year-old Martha Nolan-O’Slattara’s death might be linked to a drug overdose, authorities have initiated a deeper investigation into the tragic event.
Nolan, a successful entrepreneur based in Manhattan, was discovered deceased aboard a vessel moored at Montauk Yacht Club in the Hamptons, Long Island, New York. She had been there for a meeting with insurance mogul Christopher Durnan.
At 60, Durnan was known at the upscale club and reportedly dashed for assistance from the dock after a 911 call was placed, indicating that Nolan had been found unconscious on the boat.
Good Samaritans performed CPR, but Nolan was pronounced dead after first responders arrived at the scene.
Her cause of death wasn’t immediately determined, but police said there was no evidence of violence on her body.
Speculation about drug involvement intensified as pictures of Durnan’s boat, Ripple, surfaced, showing what appeared to be a white powder on the seats after Nolan’s death.
In response, Suffolk County’s East End Drug Task Force has become involved in the probe, marking the first official link between drugs and Nolan’s demise, as reported by Newsday.
The task force is now analyzing whether drugs might have played a role in Nolan’s death.
Police are still waiting for toxicology results from the medical examiner, which could take several months to complete.
Nolan had informed her boyfriend, sales executive Nicholas DiRubio, according to the Daily Mail, that she would use an Uber to get home before 1 am after her discussion with Durnan, who was said to have invested more than $200,000 in her luxury swimwear brand, East x East.
Recent updates in the investigation come as bizarre new details have come to light about Durnan’s past.
The wealthy boat owner is a widowed dad of two adults who runs an insurance business that focuses on workers’ compensation insurance.
He owns a house in Montauk and another in Florida, but has an odd history in New York City, the Daily Mail recently reported.
LAWSUIT OVER ‘BITE ATTACK’
According to a 2022 lawsuit, a retired firefighter named Michael Balfe accused Durnan of attacking and biting him when the two got into a fight at a Webster Hall concert in September 2021.
Balfe claimed that the pair were both in the crowd watching The Bogmen perform when Durnan randomly “viciously attacked, bit and assaulted” him.
Timeline of Martha Nolan’s death
Young entreprenur Martha Nolan, 33, was found dead on a yacht in the Hamptons last Tuesday. Below is a timeline of her final days:
Tuesday, August 5
Just after midnight, East Hampton police respond to a 911 call from a man who found a woman unresponsive on a docked boat at the Montauk Yacht Club. Good Samaritans attempt CPR but first responders pronounce her dead at the scene.
Wednesday, August 6
An initial autopsy finds no evidence of violence. The woman is identified as Martha Nolan-O’Slattara.
Thursday, August 7
Nolan’s mom tells the Irish Independent that her family is “numb with shock.”
Tuesday, August 12
Suffolk County’s East End Drug Task Force joins the investigation into Nolan’s death.
He sued Durnan for battery and the Manhattan venue for negligence, claiming the security guards failed to protect him.
Durnan was then arrested on multiple misdemeanor charges, including possession of a controlled substance and assault.
He was handed one year of conditional discharge after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct.
In response to the lawsuit, Durnan said that Balfe started it and he had only acted in “justifiable self-defense.”
The lawsuit was settled in December when everyone paid up.
Durnan hasn’t been connected to any wrongdoing connected to Nolan’s death.
Police still haven’t determined that there is any foul play in the case.
