Fashion designer found dead on yacht was planning to marry
A source close to the family of tragic entrepreneur Martha Nolan O'Slatarra also revealed the Carlow woman spoke to the man she had hoped to spend the rest of her life with just moments before her mysterious death.
During the course of what proved to be the last phone call she would make, Martha, 33, assured her boyfriend she was about to head home. Martha Nolan-O'Slattara. Pic: Facebook
But within minutes, she was found unconscious and later declared dead by medics who responded to a 911 call.
The source told Extra: 'Martha and her boyfriend went to Ireland at Christmas. He met her family and getting married would have been the next step.
'It was just her and the boat owner on the boat. She phoned her boyfriend and she told him she was just about to be picked up by an Uber.
'There is such a short timeline between when she made the call and when the 911 call was made.'
These crucial minutes between the two phone calls, made around midnight last Tuesday, are at the centre of a police investigation.
Martha died while on a 27ft boat called Ripple and the other person on board was the owner of the 25-year-old vessel. Pic: Martha Nolan/TikTok
Aged in his early 60s, it is believed he is the main eyewitnesses reportedly described running naked along the jetty shouting for help.
People staying on nearby boats claimed the man threw a container of suntan lotion at one of his neighbours' yachts in a desperate bid to wake them up.
Montauk is at the furthest end of Long Island, New York. Located in the upmarket Hamptons. The town has become the summer playground of the rich and famous.
Many millionaire Wall Street brokers relocate there with their families to escape the blazing heat and humidity of New York's summer.
According to locals, the owner of the boat on which Martha died has two vessels moored side by side at Montauk Yacht Club.
He has previously come to the attention of local police when he was given a ticket for 'failure to display registration numbers'.
Given the considerable age gap between them, Martha's friends are mystified as to why she was alone with the boat owner so late last Tuesday night. One friend Extra: 'He would be 60 or so years old, and Martha recently told a friend he had asked to meet her.
'But it does not make sense why she was alone with him or why he was naked.
'Martha's boyfriend was away on a work trip last weekend. Martha was very happy with her boyfriend, and she was very in love with her boyfriend.' Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra. Pic: TikTok
Another pal added: 'Martha was a bright light and that light has been sniffed out.
'She has a lot of good friends, and all her friends want to get answers and to help so that she doesn't become just another statistic. We all loved her deeply.'
Although many questions remain unanswered as to the tragic sequence of events leading up to Martha's death, what is known is that a 911 call was made just after midnight on Tuesday.
At that stage, the young businesswoman was unconscious.
The emergency call was not made by the boat owner, but by a Good Samaritan who had tried to help save Martha's life by giving her CPR.
But by the time paramedics arrived, it was already too late and Martha was declared dead shortly afterwards. According to Suffolk County Police, an initial post-mortem examination was 'inconclusive' but 'did not show evidence of violence'.
However, police are hopeful that further tests by the Medical Examiner's office will determine the cause of death, which will determine the direction of the investigation. These include the results of toxicology tests.
In normal circumstances, it can take several weeks for these results to be finalised. But it is believed these may be fast-tracked given the unusual circumstances surrounding the young Irish woman's death.
A police source told Extra: 'This is an investigation into an unnatural death and the Medical Examiner's Office will determine what course the investigation will take. Martha was a very vibrant young woman who had the world at her feet.
'Usually it can take several weeks for these test results to become known but I would think in this case things will be ramped up and they could be available in two weeks.
'Detectives will be looking at everyone she was involved with that night. They'll be looking at who she was socialising with, who made the 911 call, who heard the screams.
'All of these people will be interviewed, and the best way to do that is to is to interview them separately.' Martha Nolan-O'Slattara. Pic: Dylan Grace / Instagram
Martha emigrated from her native Carlow to the US after graduating with a Master's Degree in Digital Marketing from UCD's Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School at the age of 26.
Shortly afterwards, she set about launching her own luxury swim wear label, East X East, in New York.
Through sheer hard work and determination, it appears the young Irish entrepreneur succeeded in a highly competitive business.
Earlier this summer, she secured a pop-up shop position at Gurney's, regarded as one of the most
exclusive shops in the Hamptons.
Despite her business success, Martha endured some personal heartache along the way too. Her marriage to businessman Sam Ryan failed, with the couple going their separate ways.
Although their divorce was in the process of being finalised, according to friends, her ex-husband is devastated by Martha's death.
Contacted last night, Mr Ryan said: 'No comment. Thank you.'
Martha's body was released by the Medical Examiner's Office on Thursday and her family are due to travel to New York over the coming days.
There, they will await the outcome of the further autopsy and toxicology tests before bringing her remains home for burial.
The Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust is assisting the family with bringing Martha's remains home.
Earlier this week, Martha's mother Elma Nolan revealed the shocking moment her youngest daughter told her that her sister was dead. Martha Nolan-O'Slatarra. Pic: TikTok
'I feel numb and in shock. My younger daughter Jacqui arrived in on Tuesday night and she was crying and shaking,' she told the Irish Independent.
'She said, 'I have terrible news… Martha's dead.' I don't know what happened to my daughter. We
weren't told anything.'
One of Martha's friends this weekend expressed frustration at the lack of official information about the circumstances surrounding her death.
'Something is not right. [The NYPD] aren't saying anything and sadly I don't know any details about that night,' they told Extra.
The Irish Central news website reported that Martha's remains were expected to be released to her family yesterday.
It also said the young Irishwoman last spoke to her mother on July 29, about plans to come home to Carlow this week.
'She wanted to know if I would be around to pick her up,' she is quoted as saying.
'It was a very quick call because she is so busy, but that's the last time we spoke.'
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