Mystery in the cell: A pair of prisoners found dead after an intimate visit

Two prisoners, a man and a woman, were found dead in a cell at a prison in the city of Ibagué, central Colombia, last Thursday following an intimate visit authorized by the National Penitentiary and Prison Institute of Colombia (Inpec).

The prisoners were identified as Jhon Emerson Muñoz Guerrero and Mariana Muñoz Vega. Their bodies were discovered by a guard who approached the cell after the allotted visit time had expired. After receiving no response to repeated knocks, the guard entered the cell and found the woman's body on the bed and the man's body on the floor, with both showing signs indicative of hanging. A medical team was summoned to the scene and confirmed the deaths.

According to an Inpec statement, the couple had been in a romantic relationship for 17 months, during which time they had submitted several requests for intimate visits.

Jhon had entered prison in 2024 to serve a sentence of 22 years and four months for the murder of a woman. Mariana had been incarcerated since 2023 on charges of aiding a prison escape and was serving a four-year sentence.

Authorities are currently awaiting a report from the National Institute of Legal Medicine to determine the official cause of death. Simultaneously, the investigative branch of the Attorney General's Office has opened an inquiry into the circumstances of the incident, with the primary suspicion being a double suicide.