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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.
After mounting suspicions that Martha Nolan-O’Slattara, 33, died of a drug overdose, a new task force has been called in to examine the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Nolan, a Manhattan-based entrepreneur, was found dead on a boat docked at the Montauk Yacht Club in the Hamptons on Long Island, New York, last Tuesday after a business meeting with insurance tycoon Christopher Durnan.
Durnan, 60, reportedly ran screaming down the dock for help at the ritzy club, where he was well-known, after a 911 call reported Nolan was unconscious on board.
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 began to grow that drugs had been involved after photos of Durnan’s vessel, named Ripple, showed a powdery white substance on the seats of the boat after the shocking death.
Now, Suffolk County’s East End Drug Task Force has joined the investigation in the first public link between drugs and Nolan’s death, reported 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.
The designer told her boyfriend, identified as sales exec Nicholas DiRubio by the Daily Mail, that she’d take an Uber home before 1 am after speaking with Durnan, who reportedly invested over $200,000 in her high-end swimwear line 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.
