Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, 33, was originally from Carlow, Ireland, but lived in Manhattan where she was discovered unconscious on a vessel at Montauk Yacht Club in the early hours of August 5
A fashion designer who was tragically found dead on a yacht in New York led “a short life, but a packed life”, mourners at her funeral were told. Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, 33, originally from Carlow, Ireland, but residing in Manhattan, was discovered unconscious on a vessel at Montauk Yacht Club.
After being found in the early hours of August 5 Martha was declared dead at the scene. The cause of Martha’s death remains unconfirmed. At her funeral the priest informed the congregation that mourners gathered “from so many parts to be here to support Martha’s family”.
During the funeral symbol of objects were brought forward to represent various aspects of Martha’s life. The symbols included her passport, her brand East x East, a makeup bag and brushes, the Irish and U.S flags, and a tin whistle symbolising her love of musical instruments.
Also presented at the altar was St Martha’s prayer, which her mother Elma recites every Tuesday. The night before her untimely death the entrepreneur is believed to have visited the luxury Montauk Yacht Club to meet with 60-year-old insurance tycoon Christopher Durnan, reports Mail.
However, the evening took a horrifying turn when Durnan ran down to the dock naked around midnight – screaming for help after Martha passed out.
Onlookers dialled 911 and scrambled onto the boat named Ripple to attempt CPR on the bikini designer. However, Martha was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders. U.S. investigators have stated that an initial post-mortem examination “did not show evidence of violence and her final cause of death is pending further investigation”.
The heartbroken family of the fashion mogul journeyed from Ireland to the U.S to insist on a second-opinion autopsy into her cause of death.
They enlisted a high-profile U.S. lawyer – whose client list includes Harvey Weinstein and former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon – to uncover what transpired with Martha.
The conclusive post-mortem report, encompassing toxicological, histological and other tests, will take at least three months to finalise. Arthur Aidala, the family’s legal representative and a criminal defence attorney, stated he had met with Suffolk County homicide detectives who were conducting a comprehensive investigation. He also added that individuals are still being interrogated surrounding Martha’s death.
Aidala has revealed: “There is still a very intense investigation focused on why a young woman is dead.”
“The autopsy report did show that there was no signs of a struggle, no defensive wounds on her hands, no obvious signs of trauma.
“The medical examiner is really focusing now on her blood and the other fluids that are being sent to toxicology to see what’s going on. There were rumours that she possibly had some form of brain cancer and that is being investigated as well.”
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