What Was the White Powder Found on Boat Where Irish Fashion Designer Died? | Crime Alert 5PM 08.20.25

What happened to Martha Nolan-O’Slattera? The 33-year-old Irish fashion designer found dead, with possible drug evidence left behind on her boyfriend’s boat. Was it a designer drug overdose? Did it have to do with her partners in a sunglass venture? And what about her ex? 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime al Art, hourly update, breaking crime news. Now.

Speaker 2 (00:03):
I'm Drew Nelson. What happened to Martha Nolan O Slatterer,
the thirty three year old Irish fashion designer found dead
with possible drug evidence left behind on her boyfriend's boat.
Was it a designer drug overdose? Did it have to
do with her partners in a sunglass venture and what
about her ex with crime Online Sidney Sumner, Dave Mack,
Jackie Howard and Holden Zapple. I'm Drew Nelson.

Speaker 3 (00:26):
The night of her death, Marpa was a board of Ripple,
a fifty foot cabin cruiser, at the Montak Yacht Club
to meet with an East by East investor, Christopher Dernan.
Nolan told boyfriend Nick Darubio she planned to uber home
and arrived before one am. Dernan, who owns Dernin Group Insurance,
screamed for help completely nude, throwing items at other boats,

(00:49):
including a tube of sunscreen.

Speaker 4 (00:51):
Dernan, who owns a workers comp insurance company, is well
known at the Montak Yacht Company for guitar plane usually
mooring twenty two year old Ripplex to second vessel Hell
in a bucket. Durnant invested at least two hundred thousand
dollars in Martha Nolan's latest fashion brand, East by East.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Photos taken after Martha was found dead show a wide
powdery substance scattered across the seat on the vessel. The
Suffolk County Police Department has not determined cause of death.

Speaker 4 (01:19):
Homicide detectives are still questioning people close to Martha.

Speaker 3 (01:23):
Martha Nolan had just finalized an uncontested divorce from Sam
Ryan in April. The couple was married in Utah in
twenty twenty, but it appears Nolan had already moved on.
Nolan was currently dating thirty four year old Nicholas d'arubio. Darrubio,
a sales exec, spent last Christmas with Nolan's family, and
a proposal was a strong possibility in the near future.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
While separating from their last fashion venture, Out East Sunglasses,
business partners, Martha Nolan and Dylan Grace were slapped with
a lawsuit ledging they essentially destroyed the company. Nolan, once
the CMO for out East, was accused of changing the
owner's passwords to lock them out of the business's bank
account while she drained thirty four thousand dollars from it.
The owners also accused Nolan and Grace of stealing their

(02:08):
entire inventory. The duo denied all of the allegations, and
the case was settled outside of court two months later.

Speaker 5 (02:14):
Martha Nolan's family has traveled to New York to bring
the thirty three year old fashionista's body home. Law enforcement
has told them a final post mortem report will take
at least three months. The heartbroken family hoping a second
look may provide answers on a more expedited timeline.

Speaker 3 (02:29):
Martha Nolan's mother, Elma, is shocked when detectives question if
there is truth to claims that her daughter had brain cancer.
Alma Nolan says Martha was perfectly healthy and she spoke
with her daughter on a daily basis. There's no way
she could have hidden such a serious diagnosis. Officers did
not reveal where they heard that Martha was battling cancer.

(02:50):
Her family left wondering why anyone would say that.

Speaker 5 (02:53):
Though Martha was dating Nick to Rubio at the time
of her death, she was still in the process of
divorcing ex Sam Ryan. The couple married in Utah in
twenty twenty, but we're still working through an uncondested divorce.
The last filings in the case made in April. Ryan's
attorney filed notice of Martha's death with the court to
halt the final divorce judgment.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
Since indicating that Nolan's autopsy did not reveal any signs
of a violent death, police have largely remained mum on
the investigation. Retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Jackalone warns against ruling
out foul play too early in an investigation, commenting every
death should be treated as a homicide until the scene

(03:32):
investigation is concluded. Officers have conferred with the medical examiner
and received back all necessary reports. Jackalone says that should
be standard procedure in every investigation. Though her cause of
death is still undetermined, Martha Nolan has been laid to
rest in her hometown. Family and friends gathered at the
Cathedral of the Assumption to remember Martha and say their

(03:55):
final goodbyes before she was buried at Saint Mary's Cemetery.
Martha I loved the life she built for herself in
the Big Apple, but frequently posted about the beautiful countryside
on her visits home to Carlow, the tiny Irish town
about fifty miles from Dublin, where Martha grew up.

Speaker 2 (04:12):
For more on the case of Martha Nolan Oslatterer joined
Nancy Tonight for Crime Stories at eight pm Eastern on
Sirias XAM Triumph Channel one to eleven, or follow Crime
Stories with Nancy Grace wherever you get your podcasts more
crime and justice news. After this seventeen year old one

(04:35):
to Raza Sanchez was last seen around six am March
twentieth of twenty seventeen in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He
was reported missing two days later. A flyer from Myrtle
Beach Belice said he might have been headed to North
Carolina or New York. Police say he left his phone
and a note. The note thanking the man he was
staying with for giving him a place to live, and
also said he had debts to pay in his home country, Guatemala,

(04:58):
and was going to another state to work. The man
who called police said to Raza Sanchez had been staying
in his home since February twenty third of that year.
He was not related to him. He said the teen
had entered the United States illegally and was held by
immigration for three to four months before being placed in
his care by social services. He also said he had
spoken with Tarraza Sanchez, his mother in Guatemala, but she

(05:21):
did not know where he was. He told police the
teen had once spoken about wanting to go to New
York to Raza Sanchez was also due in court to
see if he could become a legal refugee. He was
described by police at five foot eight, one sixty. He
had black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen
wearing a blue hoodie, jeans, and white sneakers. Want to
Raza Sanchez would be twenty five today. If you've seen him,

(05:43):
call Myrtle Beach Police Department at eight four to three,
nine one eighth, thirteen eighty two. For the latest crime
and justice news. Follow Crime Alert hourly update on your
favorite podcast app with this crime Alert. I'm Drew Nelson.