THE investigation into the death of a young fashion designer on a yacht in the Hamptons has taken a fresh twist as her family shoots down claims that she had cancer before her passing.
The grief-stricken mom of bikini designer Martha Nolan O’Slattara, 33, insisted her daughter was “perfectly healthy” before she was found unconscious on a ritzy boat docked at the Montauk Yacht Club.
Nolan was found on board the vessel, named Ripple, at around midnight last Tuesday after she had a meeting with the boat’s owner, 60-year-old insurance mogul Christopher Durnan.
Durnan reportedly ran screaming down the dock for help, and Good Samaritans at the boat club performed CPR, but first responders pronounced her dead at the scene.
Her cause of death wasn’t determined immediately, but cops ruled out any signs of violence on her body.
Speculation began to grow that drugs were involved in her death after a drug task force joined police in the investigation, reported Newsday.
Sources close to the investigation then claimed the death was a suspected overdose, the New York Post reported.
Nolan’s family then spoke out and said they never knew the Irish-born entrepreneur to be a person who used drugs.
Now, Nolan’s mom, Elma, has been forced to break her silence on more rumors surrounding her daughter’s untimely death.
In the days following Nolan’s death, detectives reportedly called Elma to ask about claims that her daughter had brain cancer, the Irish Independent reported.
Elma, who spoke to her daughter daily, was “stunned” by the claims.
She told detectives her daughter was in perfect health.
“She told them there was nothing of the sort [affecting her],” a source told the Irish Independent.
It’s unclear where investigators got the information about Nolan’s supposed cancer.
Nolan’s family has traveled from Ireland to the US to demand a second-opinion autopsy after the first exam didn’t determine a cause of death.
The family has hired top lawyer Arthur Aidala to represent them following Nolan’s death.
Aidala, who previously represented Harvey Weinstein, said the family is working with cops to uncover more about Nolan’s death.
He said her family worries that if drugs were involved, then Nolan might have been slipped something unknowingly.
“If there was any kind of drug and drug use, they want to know. Who’s doing the drugs?” Aidala said at a press conference on Wednesday.
He said police are still questioning people about the death.
“There is still a very intense investigation focused on why a young woman is dead,” Aidala said, the Irish Independent reported.
He said her autopsy showed there were no signs of struggle, no defensive wounds on her hands, and 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,” Aidala said.
“There were rumors that she possibly had some form of brain cancer and that is being investigated as well.”
HEARTBREAKING LOSS
Nolan, founder of swimwear brand East x East, lived in Manhattan’s Upper East Side neighborhood and spent summers in Montauk to host pop-ups for her brand.
The fashionista often showcased luxurious vacations and glamorous trips on private jets on her social media accounts.
She was having a late-night business meeting with Durnan, who reportedly has invested over $200,000 in her brand.
Durnan is a widowed father of two adult children who owns a company that specializes in workers’ compensation insurance.
He didn’t immediately return The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/14980329/martha-nolan-oslattara-hamptons-death-yacht-montauk-cancer/