Friends of Irish fashion designer Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, 33, made a grim joke about her possible death just hours before her body was discovered on a yacht in Long Island. Nolan, who ran the swimwear company East x East, had met with investor and yacht owner Christopher Durnan at a South Fork yacht club on August 4 to discuss business expansion.
After taking a boat out, Nolan assured friends she would take an Uber home by 1am. When she stopped responding to messages, a friend wrote in a group chat: 'Lmao. I’m sure her phone died. Or maybe she’s dead.' The message was sent at 9.20pm, and ten minutes later Nolan replied: 'Lol I’m at the yacht club now, my phone is on.'
According to police, Nolan died about an hour after sending that message. She was found unconscious on the docked vessel Ripple after residents reported hearing screams late at night. Despite attempts by 'good Samaritans' to perform CPR, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Officials found no signs of violence, leaving the cause of death a mystery.
Durnan was reportedly seen running around the yacht club naked, throwing sunscreen at other boats, trying to get help. One friend said of the messages: 'It’s haunting. None of us imagined anything like this could happen. At the time, we laughed, thinking it was silly – we had no idea.'
Court documents reveal that Nolan had finalised a divorce from her husband, Sam Ryan, just months before her death. The investigation into the incident continues.
