'May Martha's Gentle Soul Rest In Peace': Funeral Services Set For NYC Designer Found Dead On Boat In Montauk

MONTAUK, NY — Funeral services have been announced for a beloved New York City designer, whose body was found on a boat at the tony Montauk Yacht Club.

According to a published death notice, the family of Martha Nolan-O'Slattara, 33, has brought her home to Ireland for burial: A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday, August 20, in The Cathedral of the Assumption in Carlow at 10 a.m. followed by burial afterward in St Mary's Cemetery in Carlow.

Her death notice was first posted last week by Carpenter Brothers Funeral Directors in Carlow, Ireland, stating that Nolan-O'Slattara "passed away unexpectedly, on August 5."

"Beloved daughter of Elma, much loved sister of Jacqui, treasured granddaughter of Betty and Liam, cherished niece of John, Michelle, Barry and Mona and adored partner of Nick. She will be sadly missed by her loving mother and her mother's partner Patrick, sister, aunts, uncles, partner, her father Seamus and her siblings, her grandfather Jimmy Slattery, extended family, relatives and her large circle of friends in Ireland and the U.S. May Martha’s gentle soul rest in peace."

In addition, Nolan-O'Slattara''s family has hired a lawyer as they search for answers about how she died.

Attorney Arthur Aidala, managing partner of Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins, which has offices in New York City and Southampton, spoke with members of the media Wednesday. Any reports prematurely listing the cause of death of Martha Nolan-O'Slattara "are irresponsible. They're just not accurate," said Aidala, who is now representing Nolan's family, according to Fox News.

At the press conference, posted on Fox News, Aidala said he had been in touch with Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney's Office, and that Nolan-O'Slattara's family has "had a sit down" with Suffolk County Police homicide detectives. He added that a "deep, deep" investigation was ongoing, with "technological analysis still being done."

Aidala also said that her family "respectfully requests privacy. At this point, they have a lot of questions they want answered — and they want to honor Martha's legacy."

Aidala did not immediately respond to multiple calls and emails for additional comment by Patch.

Suffolk County Police has told Patch that there was "no update" in the case involving the death of Nolan O'Slattara. On Wednesday, Suffolk County police said there has been no final update from those investigating the case, and that authorities are waiting for the final medical examiner's report.
Suffolk County officials, when asked for an update from the Medical Examiner's Office, said autopsy results are not released by that office.

Suffolk County police said that an autopsy conducted on Nolan-O’Slatarra did not show evidence of violence.
In recent days, the Irish Independent reported that funeral arrangements for the Nolan-O'Slattara would be released; the outlet also reported that Nolan-O'Slattara's family was told that the final autopsy findings, including "toxicological, histological and other testing," could take at least three months to complete.

Despite the murky details of the night she died out on the waters of Montauk, Nolan-O'Slattara was on the precipice of a bright new future.

A successful entrepreneur with a burgeoning fashion brand that had a pop-up at Gurney's this season, Nolan-O'Slattara was, according to Irish website Extra.ie, not with her boyfriend on the night she died. She called him moments before she was found unconscious, the outlet said.

Extra.ie reported that a source said that Nolan-O'Slattara and her boyfriend went to Ireland at Christmas, where he'd met her family and that "getting married would have been the next step."

According to multiple media reports, including Women's Wear Daily, Nolan was close to a divorce from her husband; an attorney familiar with the case told Patch that the divorce had not yet been finalized.

Also, according to Extra.ie, Nolan-O'Slattara and the boat owner were alone on the vessel when she called her boyfriend she told him she'd been at a business meeting, had called an Uber and would be home soon.

According to some media reports, including one report by the New York Post, the owner of the boat is a 60-year-old Long Island businessman. The boat "Ripple" was registered in Long Beach.

Registration numbers for the vessels were not immediately visible to a Patch reporter at the scene last week.

Neighboring boaters told Patch that the owner actually had two boats, side by side, and that both were named after Grateful Dead songs; he also had a Grateful Dead sticker on the boat. One woman posted on Instagram that she'd made a Grateful Dead inspired guitar trap to match the Head Count guitar collection the boat's owner has.

Beyond the speculation over how Nolan O'Slattara died, there is a blanket of heavy grief, as those who loved her mourn the cold reality of her loss.

"We were deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of our former student Martha Nolan O’Slatarra. Our heartfelt condolences to her mother Elma, her sister Jacqui, her extended family and wide circle of school friends. Martha was a bright and talented student. May her gentle soul rest in eternal peace," St. Leo's College, located in Carlow, Ireland, wrote on Instagram.

And beyond the headlines and ongoing investigation, the stark and simple grief remains: An anguished mother is mourning the unthinkable loss of her beautiful daughter.

Elma Nolan, mother of Nolan O'Slattara, told the Irish Independent that she "numb with shock," left reeling after the news that her precious girl was gone. "I don't know what happened to my daughter."Her family, who lives in Ireland, was left searching for answers.

According to BreakingNews.ie, Nolan O'Slattara had planned to visit her mother in Ireland recently — but, instead, her mother and aunt were making the sad journey to New York, the outlet said.

Last week, Dylan Grace, reportedly Nolan-O'Slattara's business partner in the East X East fashion brand, posted a heartfelt good-bye on Instagram. "We dreamed big together, laughed harder than anyone else could understand, and built so much from nothing. I'm truly blessed and grateful to have had you in my life."

"She was such a beautiful person inside and out. She will be so, so missed," another person wrote on Instagram.

According to Suffolk County police, East Hampton Town police responded to a 911 call from a man reporting a woman unconscious on a boat docked at the yacht club on Star Island Road at about 12 a.m. on August 5.

Good Samaritans attempted to perform CPR on the woman; Nolan-O’Slatarra was pronounced dead on the boat by first responders, police said.

Boaters whose vessels were docked nearby described the experience.

One boater said Nolan-O’Slatarra was known for her designs; a friend had recently bought one of her shirts a few days before.

Nolan-O’Slatarra was originally from Ireland. According to her LinkedIn profile, she graduated from University College Dublin and had a master's in digital marketing from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. Breakingnews.ie said that as a young girl, she was "keen footballer."
Posts on her TikTok account featured photos of a vibrant young woman focused on launching her brand. One post featured Nolan flying over New York City, writing: "New York or Nowhere."

(Martha Nolan-O'Slattara's Facebook page)

According to a TikTok post by Nolan-O’Slatarra, she was the founder and creative director of East X East, a fashion brand offering crocheted dresses, bikinis, sunglasses and other items. On July 1, she posted on TikTok and showed the East X East brand featured at Gurney's in Montauk, saying: "POV: The brand you started 3 years ago has a pop up in the Hamptons. . . Goals achieved."