Cleveland kidnapper dead; found hanged in prison cell

Ariel Castro, the man who kidnapped three women in Cleveland, Ohio has died after he was found hanging in his cell.

14:39 04 September 2013

Reports confirmed that Ariel Castro, the man who kept three women captive at his home in Cleveland, was found hanging in his cell. He died on Tuesday in the hospital. The 53-year old former school bus driver held the three women against their will for about a decade.

The victims are Michelle Knight, 32, Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus who were kidnapped between 2002-04. Amanda managed to escape from the house and was rescued after she contacted the police. Castro was arrested the same day.

Castro was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole plus 1,000 years on August 01.

JoEllen Smith, the spokesman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction said: "He was housed in protective custody which means he was in a cell by himself and rounds are required every 30 minutes at staggered intervals.”

"Upon finding inmate Castro, prison medical staff began performing life saving measures. Shortly after he was transported to [the prison medical facility] where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 pm."

She added that a thorough review is under way.