DEATH IN CARROLL CO. RULED A HOMICIDE

(HAMPSTEAD, MD) – The body of a man found yesterday morning in a rural part of northern Carroll County has been identified and his death has been ruled a murder.

The victim is identified as Prakash Rampatsingh, 50, of Hanover, PA. An autopsy conducted today by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore determined the victim died from a gunshot wound. Investigators are not identifying the location of the gunshot on the victim at this time, due to the ongoing investigation.

At about 8:00 a.m. yesterday, Carroll County Sheriff's Office deputies were dispatched to the 3200-block of Falls Road, Hampstead, Md., for the report of a found body. When deputies arrived, it was confirmed the man was deceased. He was lying along the border of a wooded area that was next to a grain field in a rural area, not far off of Falls Road. The body was near a gated access road that leads to a cell phone tower situated within sight of where the body was found.

The preliminary investigation indicates that members of a crew working on the cell tower were walking the wood line and discovered the body. A search of the area was conducted by crime scene technicians from the State Police and Sheriff's Office, but no weapons were found.

The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit has continued the investigation, with the assistance of investigators and deputies from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the State Police Criminal Enforcement Division office in Westminster, the State Police Crash Team, and crime scene technicians from both the State Police and Sheriff’s Office. Investigators have been contacting family members, friends, and associates of the victim as part of the ongoing investigation. Police are attempting to determine when the victim was last seen alive. There is no indication his body was lying where it was found for an extended period of time. Police have learned the victim worked for a property management company in Baltimore. He is married with teenage children.
Investigators learned the victim and his wife are estranged.

Police have determined the victim often traveled on Falls Road to and from Baltimore, from his home in Hanover, Pa. However, police did not find a vehicle belonging to the victim in the area near where his body was found.

Police are requesting the public’s help in developing information about the person or persons responsible for this murder. Metro Crime Solvers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information that can be provided anonymously by calling 1-866-7LOCKUP.