Tragic Mystery in the Hamptons: NYC Swimwear Designer Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra Found Dead on Montauk Yacht After Friends Joked “Maybe She’s Dead” Hours Earlier
In the quiet hours of a summer morning on Long Island’s South Fork, the idyllic calm of Montauk Yacht Club was broken by shouts for help echoing across the docks. It was August 5, 2025, when rescuers discovered the body of 33-year-old fashion designer Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra aboard a gleaming white yacht named Ripple. The young Manhattan designer, whose swimwear label had begun attracting international attention, was found unresponsive after what was supposed to be a celebratory business meeting.
The scene was jarring — a setting made for luxury and leisure suddenly transformed into tragedy. Witnesses described chaos: a man screaming for help, bystanders scrambling to perform CPR, and stunned onlookers frozen in disbelief. Nolan-O’Slatarra had been in Montauk for what she told friends was an important meeting with a potential investor, 58-year-old boat owner and businessman Christopher Durnan. Hours before her death, her friends had texted her repeatedly, joking darkly after she failed to respond — “Maybe she’s dead,” one message read. They had no idea how cruelly prophetic those words would become.
According to police reports obtained by The New York Post, there were no immediate signs of violence when her body was found. Authorities confirmed that the cause of death remains under investigation pending toxicology results, but sources told investigators the preliminary findings suggested no foul play. Still, the details that have emerged — the unanswered calls, the haunting text messages, and the frantic rescue attempt — have left friends, family, and the fashion world grasping for answers.
Originally from Carlow, Ireland, Nolan-O’Slatarra had built a promising career in New York’s competitive design scene. Educated at University College Dublin, she moved to Manhattan in her mid-20s, pursuing a lifelong dream of building her own fashion label. By 2023, she had co-founded East x East, a luxury swimwear and resort-wear brand inspired by her transatlantic upbringing and travels. Her designs, featured in glossy editorials and influencer campaigns, captured the free-spirited essence of coastal living — sleek lines, soft tones, effortless elegance.
Friends describe her as magnetic, ambitious, and deeply committed to her craft. “She had that rare mix of creativity and business drive,” said her business partner, Dylan Grace. “She could work all day, then stay up till 3 a.m. perfecting a design. Martha never slowed down.”
But behind her growing success was a demanding schedule that left little room for rest. In the weeks before her death, she was planning a major expansion for East x East, including a pop-up boutique at the exclusive Gurney’s Montauk resort. Her Instagram feed showed glimpses of that moment — sun-drenched days, champagne by the shore, a designer at the height of her potential.
That weekend, she arranged to meet Durnan on his yacht, Ripple, reportedly to discuss a new round of investment for her brand. The boat, docked at the Montauk Yacht Club, was known among the marina’s regulars as a familiar party spot — a luxurious 50-foot vessel emblazoned with a Grateful Dead decal. Witnesses later told investigators that Nolan-O’Slatarra appeared relaxed and upbeat earlier in the day, chatting with marina staff and taking photos aboard.
At some point that evening, she stopped responding to her friends’ messages. Concerned but assuming she was busy, they began joking about her silence, sending a series of darkly ironic texts — the kind exchanged between close friends used to teasing each other. “Maybe she’s dead,” one friend wrote. Hours later, the joke turned to horror.
According to witnesses who spoke to The New York Post, around midnight, a man — believed to be Durnan — was seen running on deck shouting for help. He was reportedly naked, panicked, and yelling, “Do something! Do something!” as he attempted to revive her. Other boaters rushed over, with one bystander performing CPR until emergency responders arrived. By the time Suffolk County Police reached the scene, Nolan-O’Slatarra was pronounced dead.
The bizarre circumstances immediately fueled speculation and grief. Police said there were no visible injuries or indications of violence. An initial examination ruled out drowning. Sources close to the investigation told People magazine that detectives were awaiting toxicology results to determine whether drugs or alcohol may have played a role. Those results have not yet been made public.
In Ireland, her family struggled to process the news. Her mother, Elma Nolan, told reporters from The Times that Martha had been planning to visit home later that summer. “She was finally happy again,” her mother said. “She had so many plans. We just want answers — we want to know what happened to our daughter.” The family has since said they may hire a private investigator to uncover details surrounding her final hours.
Nolan-O’Slatarra’s life was one of contrast — glamour and grit, success and solitude. Friends say she was still recovering from a recent divorce and had thrown herself fully into her business. Yet by all accounts, she was thriving. “She had this energy that drew everyone in,” said one longtime friend from Dublin. “She was glowing that week. None of us could believe what happened.”
The haunting coincidence of those text messages — jokes about her being dead, sent just hours before her death — has become a chilling detail in the ongoing investigation. Police have confirmed reviewing the messages but have not suggested any connection between them and the incident itself. Still, the texts serve as a haunting echo of how quickly everything changed that night.
In Montauk, the tragedy has cast a shadow over the Hamptons’ summer scene. Locals describe a heavy quiet at the yacht club in the days after her death, the Ripple sitting moored under police watch, its nameplate now an eerie symbol of loss. “It’s hard to believe something like this could happen here,” said one marina worker. “She was so young, so full of life.”
Back in New York City, the fashion community has rallied around her brand. Her business partner has vowed to keep East x East alive in her memory. “We’ll honor her by continuing the dream she built,” he said in a post on Instagram, calling her “an amazing partner, visionary, and best friend.”
Though the medical examiner has yet to release a final cause of death, sources close to law enforcement told reporters that the investigation is focusing on a possible accidental overdose. No arrests have been made, and Durnan has not been accused of any wrongdoing. He reportedly cooperated with police at the scene and has declined further public comment.
For many who knew her, however, the official findings — whatever they may be — cannot answer the deeper question: how such a bright life could end so suddenly, so senselessly. Her death has become a cautionary tale of how ambition, success, and vulnerability can intersect in tragic ways.
Even as the facts continue to emerge, Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra’s story endures as more than a mystery. It is a portrait of a woman chasing her dreams, of friends whose teasing texts turned to heartbreak, and of a community left shaken by a loss that feels almost cinematic in its cruelty.
Her Instagram page, once filled with bright oceanside selfies and behind-the-scenes glimpses of her designs, now stands frozen in time. Under her final post — a photo of the sea off Montauk — comments from friends and followers have become digital memorials. “You were the light in every room,” one wrote. “We’ll never forget you.”
The Ripple still sits moored at Montauk Yacht Club, its deck washed clean but its story stained with questions that may never be fully answered. A brilliant designer. A haunting text thread. A boat named for a song about fate and time. In the end, what remains is the same ache felt by all who knew her — that Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra’s story ended far too soon, in the place where she was just beginning to live her dream.
