The 53-year-old was found
hanged in his prison cell, where he was alone, the Ohio Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction confirmed in an email.
Castro was in protective
custody, but was found dead at
9:20 p.m. ET in the cell, where checks are required every 30
minutes, prison medical staff said.
After lifesaving measures
were attempted, Castro was transported to The Ohio State University Wexner
Medical Center and pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m.
JoEllen Smith with the
state corrections agency said:
"A thorough review of
this incident is underway and more information can be provided as it becomes
available pending the status of the investigation."
Castro, a former Cleveland
bus driver, was sentenced to life in prison
plus 1,000 years on August 1 related to kidnapping, abuse and
imprisonment.
Amanda Berry,
Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were held in chains and abused in his house
after he abducted them between 2002 and 2004.
They escaped May 6, after
Berry broke free and alerted others.
The case elicited emotions
from people across the U.S. whose hearts went out to the young women Castro
pleaded guilty to kidnapping and abusing.
Ariel Castro claimed that
he was never mean to the women during their time in captivity, but the public -
and the judge sentencing him - were unmoved.
He was convicted of over
400 counts of kidnapping and rape; Berry gave birth to his child. He avoided the
death penalty by virtue of his guilty plea.
Amid cheers from
onlookers, the county tore down Castro’s Cleveland house in August. Two
demolition companies did the job of charge.
Social media users reacted
with anger and, in many cases, relief or even happiness to news of his apparent
suicide late Tuesday night and this morning.
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