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Martha Nolan was an Irish expat and New York fashion designer – until she turned up dead on a 54-foot yacht at a luxe marina on Long Island’s East End.
Ten days later, her cause of death remains unknown – leaving friends, family and followers to ponder what exactly happened to her on Aug. 5.
According to Suffolk County police, forensic pathologists completed Nolan’s autopsy a day later. They found no signs of violence, but her final cause of death is pending additional investigation.
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Police are likely waiting for the toxicology results, which typically will take longer than just a week or two. As a general rule, the county medical examiner doesn’t provide a timeline for results, but they are expected to be shared with police when they come back.
For their part, police have been largely silent as homicide detectives do their work.
“It makes me nuts when police say ‘no signs of foul play’ too early in the investigation,” said Joseph Giacalone, a retired NYPD sergeant and professor of criminal justice at Penn State Lehigh Valley. “The standard line should be, ‘We treat every death as if it’s a homicide until we conclude our scene investigation, confer with the ME (medical examiner), and get back all necessary reports.’ What police discovered at the scene and what the toxicology reports tell us, will allow the ME to make a certification.”
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Town of East Hampton police arrived at the Montauk Yacht Club around midnight on Aug. 5 in response to a report of an unconscious woman on a 54-foot Sea Ray docked there. When officers arrived, good Samaritans were attempting CPR, according to authorities. But first responders pronounced Nolan dead at the scene.
A preliminary scene investigation was inconclusive, police said.
Suffolk County homicide detectives are now leading the investigation, and they have met with her family, according to their high-profile New York lawyer, Arthur Aidala.
Aidala is disputing some reports that suggest a drug overdose is expected in Nolan’s death, and he urged patience as the family awaits more information and investigators continue to probe the incident.
MONTAUK YACHT DEATH: TIMELINE REVEALS BIKINI MOGUL’S FINAL DAYS IN HAMPTONS BEFORE MYSTERIOUS DEMISE
While the homicide squad is working the case, Giacalone said it looks like they may be digging into someone other than the yacht owner. The yachtsman reportedly woke up people on a neighboring boat to call 911, according to the New York Post.
“Running from boat to boat and throwing things at boats to wake people up is unusual if this is a homicide,” Giacalone told Fox News Digital. “He owns two boats and no cellphone? Unlikely. He’s 30-plus years older, and it sounds like panic. I hope they did more than a cursory scene investigation, however, hope is not a plan for death investigations.”
Aidala, the family’s lawyer, also revealed Wednesday that police are conducting a comprehensive “technological analysis” as part of a “deep, deep” probe into the circumstances surrounding Nolan’s death.
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“The text messages may play a part in this, however, she’s going through a divorce, in some 60-year-old guy’s yacht, she may not have told anyone exactly where and what she was doing,” Giacalone told Fox News Digital. “Since ‘sources’ have said an overdose, maybe that will lead to the dealer, who can be prosecuted. One thing DA Tierney has done is prosecuted a number of dealers that have caused a death. That’s why publicly stating a drug overdose is not helpful to the future investigation.”
Nolan was the founder of East x East, a boutique fashion company focused on beachwear and sunglasses. It also offered a Montauk-themed hoodie, emblazoned with the slogan, “I only love you in Montauk.”
The yacht owner was reportedly an investor in Nolan’s business. At the time of her death, she was also going through a divorce from her husband, Sam Ryan.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
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