Family lawyer alleges bloodied yacht scene was cleaned before police arrived

A lawyer for Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra says the Montauk yacht where she was found dead was wiped clean before investigators got there, contradicting the initial overdose theory.

Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra, a 33-year-old fashion designer, was discovered dead on the yacht Ripple at the Montauk Yacht Club on Aug. 5, 2025. Her family’s attorney, Michael Bowe of Brithem LLP, says emergency responders found blood in her mouth, on her chest, and around her head, and that police informed the family the scene had been cleaned before officers arrived. A second autopsy performed by a leading medical examiner rejects the initial claim of a fatal drug overdose, noting only trace amounts of cocaine and no signs of vomiting.

Bowe has filed a notice of claim seeking $50 million in Manhattan, accusing the boat’s owner, Christopher Durnan, of intentional assault and negligence. Durnan, an insurance investor in Nolan-O’Slatarra’s swimwear label East x East, has not been charged and could not be reached for comment. Suffolk County police have repeatedly denied requests for the original autopsy and related documents, leaving the investigation unresolved a year later.