Police have not yet determined circumstances surrounding the apparent death of Irish fashion designer Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, 33, who was discovered unresponsive on a ship docked off Montauk Yacht Club early on 5 August 2025.
An autopsy was done the next day, but no evidence of trauma or violence was discovered, said the Suffolk County Police Department. The manner of death is not determined yet as toxicology results are awaited, which may take weeks to months in Suffolk County.
“Any reports suggesting a cause of death at this stage are purely speculative and irresponsible,”
said Arthur L. Aidala, the veteran criminal defense attorney representing Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family.
“The family is cooperating fully with investigators, and people are still being questioned.”
Born in Carlow, Ireland, Nolan-O’Slatarra moved to New York City in 2015 to pursue a career in fashion. She founded East x East, a sustainable swimwear and resort-wear label with a seasonal pop-up at Gurney’s Montauk Resort and Seawater Spa, just six miles from where she was found.
Educated at University College Dublin and Smurfit Graduate School, she blended commerce and digital marketing skills into a brand that gained a foothold in the Hamptons’ summer fashion circuit.
On the evening of August 4, Nolan-O’Slatarra met with 60-year-old insurance executive Christopher Durnan aboard his yacht, Ripple, moored at the Montauk Yacht Club.
Just after midnight on August 5, a 911 call was placed reportedly by Durnan stating a woman was unconscious on board. Good Samaritans attempted CPR, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. By 4 a.m., the Suffolk County Homicide Squad had taken over the investigation.
Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina has confirmed that the homicide squad’s involvement is standard procedure for unexplained deaths. The East End Drug Task Force is also part of the inquiry, though no official cause has been determined.
All of the scenarios remain possible, from natural causes to accidental overdose to foul play. No charges have yet been filed, and police note that no suspects have been identified.
Aidala has strongly condemned the coverage, calling it a “rush to judgment” and reiterating that no toxicology results have been released.
“The family deserves the dignity of facts, not rumors,”
he said.
Montauk, which was once a sleepy fishing community, attracts luxury yachts, star-studded parties, and influencer festivals in the summertime. The case has rekindled heated discussion about safety, drug abuse, and control within the seasonal yacht culture of the area.
A tweet from X.
Montauk Yacht Club has sent its condolences to the family and verified that it is working with police.
Irish Dept of Foreign Affairs indicated that it is providing consular assistance to family of Nolan-O’Slatarra. Friends, colleagues, and clients have paid their tributes. Dylan Grace, co-founder of this journalist’s company, East x East, which was started with this journalist, said in an online message:
“Martha was more than a creative partner; she was family. The world is smaller without her.”
Toxicology results can be completed in as much as three or four months, a standard amount of time in Suffolk County cases. Until then, police report that an undetermined cause of death exists.
The family has requested privacy while awaiting answers.
As Aidala put it,
“This investigation is far from over. We will not have clarity until the science speaks.”
