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The death of Irish fashion designer Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra aboard a Montauk yacht last week is now under investigation by Suffolk County’s East End Drug Task Force, according to reports.
The development, first reported in Newsday, marks the first public suggestion that drugs may have played a role in the 33-year-old Manhattan-based entrepreneur’s sudden passing just after midnight on Aug. 6.
A source told Newsday the probe is looking into the role drugs may have played in Nolan-O’Slatarra’s death.
Nolan-O’Slatarra was found on the boat docked at the Montauk Yacht Club, owned by insurance executive Christopher Durnan, according to reports in Newsday and the Daily Mail. Durnan is the son of the founders of Durnan Group Inc. in Rockville Centre.
Durnan, a widower and father of two adult children who lives primarily in Long Beach, has owned a beachfront home in Montauk since 2020; he owns another home in Palm Beach, Florida.
Authorities are moving forward on two fronts: law enforcement is investigating potential drug involvement, while toxicology results from the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office will ultimately determine cause of death.
The East End Drug Task Force is a multi-agency team comprised of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Suffolk County Police, New York State Police, East Hampton Town Police, Riverhead Police, Southold Police, Southampton Town Police and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office.
Life on the rise
Nolan-O’Slatarra, who lived on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, had become a familiar face at East End parties and industry events, often mingling with business and fashion circles in the Hamptons and Montauk.
Friends described her as a rising star in the swimsuit industry and said she embraced the Hamptons lifestyle, splitting her time between Manhattan and Montauk.
Authorities have not reported any signs of foul play, and have said initial autopsy findings indicated that violence did not contribute to the Carlow, Ireland, native’s death.
Top photos: Clockwise from left: Instagram, Threads and Brian Harmon photo.
