An initial examination ruled out a violent death. New York police have now put narcotics officers on the case as it appears more and more likely that Ms Nolan O’Slatarra died of a drug overdose.
The investigation is being led by Suffolk County’s East End Drug Task Force, which comprises several different law enforcement organizations, including the Suffolk County sheriff’s department, the district attorney’s office and several police departments in the region.
Toxicology results will not be available for several months, but police are ‘very confident’ she died from an overdose.
Now, in new reports but the New York Post, police are allegedly searching for the potential drug dealers, insiders have revealed.
"[These dealers] may or may not have known [they were selling] poison to this girl, but that doesn’t matter," one source said told the publication.
"With higher profile cases like this poor girl in Montauk, you’re going to see more and more of these dealers getting locked up.’"
If her toxicology results confirm the presence of drugs, authorities have indicated that the dealers involved could face charges of manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide. Federal law enforcement agencies may also join the investigation.
Martha Nolan-O’Slatarra.
In response to cases like this, lawmakers have proposed “Chelsey’s Law,” which would allow prosecutors to pursue drug-induced manslaughter and homicide charges against dealers. The bill is currently under review in a state legislative committee and has not yet been enacted.
The legislation is named in memory of Chelsey Murray, 31, who died on Long Island in August 2022 after using heroin laced with fentanyl. Her dealer, Jaquan Casserly, received a 10-year prison sentence for felony drug sales.
Speaking to Extra.ie earlier this month, a police spokesman said that investigations into Ms Nolan O’Slatarra’s death are "very much open and progressing". They would not confirm if drugs or drug paraphernalia were discovered on board the yacht.
Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family is working with police, their lawyer confirmed.
"At this point, we are all cooperating with the authorities and allowing them to continue their investigation", the family’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, told Daily Mail.
* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.
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