Apparent Murder of State Prison Inmate Investigated

(CUMBERLAND, MD) – Maryland State Police homicide investigators are continuing their investigation into the apparent murder of a state prison inmate found deceased in his cell today in Allegany County.

The deceased inmate is identified as Terrance Cirata, 59. He was an inmate at the North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Md. Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services officials said Cirata was serving a 25-year sentence for sex offenses and had been in prison since 2011.

No one has been charged in connection with this apparent crime. Investigators will be consulting with the Allegany County State’s Attorney’s Office regarding charges as the investigation progresses.

Maryland State Police Homicide Unit investigators were contacted by this morning by detectives from the DPSCS Internal Investigative Division regarding the death and potential homicide. State Police Homicide Unit investigators responded to the prison to conduct the investigation, with the assistance of DPSCS IID detectives and State Police crime scene technicians.

The preliminary investigation indicates that shortly before 8:00 a.m. today, a correctional officer at the North Branch Correctional Institution received information that caused him to check Cirata’s cell. The officer found Cirata unresponsive on a cell bunk. Correctional officers attempted lifesaving measures with negative results and the inmate was pronounced dead at the scene.

No obvious signs of significant trauma were observed by investigators. The body of the deceased has been transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

Cirata shared his cell with another inmate. He was one of numerous individuals interviewed by investigators today.

The investigation is continuing.