Ariel Castro, Cleveland Kidnapper, Hangs Himself In Prison

Ariel Castro hanged himself in the Ohio prison he was serving his lengthy prison sentence for kidnapping and holding hostage three Cleveland woman for a period that stretched over ten years. Castro was 53.

Castro was found dead in his cell on Tuesday evening around 9:20 p.m. at the Correction Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, according to Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman JoEllen Smith. After he was discovered hanging, the prison’s medical staff attempted to revive him through CPR before he was rushed to an area hospital. He was pronounced dead at 10:50 p.m.

At the time of his suicide, Castro was in protective custody, which meant that prison staff was required to check in on him every 30 minutes. He was in protective custody due to the high-profile nature of his case. Castro had not been on suicide watch, which would have meant he’d have been under constant supervision.

When Castro was first imprisoned at Cuyahoga County Jail, he was under suicide watch where his activities were logged every 10 minutes. In early June, it was determined he was no longer a suicide risk and he was taken off the watch. He had been placed on it in large part because of a dated suicide note that had been found in his home when it was searched by law enforcement officials.

In a statement, the Ohio Department of Corrections said that Castro’s alleged hanging would be looked into. “A thorough review of this incident is underway,” the statement read. “And more information can be provided as it becomes available pending the status of the investigation.”

Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus were kidnapped by Castro between 2002 and 2004 and were kept hostage in his Cleveland home for 10 years, where they were raped and mentally and physically abused. On May 6, Berry, who has a 6-year-old daughter fathered by Castro, managed to escape and get the help of neighbors. Police ultimately were able to storm the house and rescue the other two victims. Castro pled guilty to 937 counts, which included kidnapping and rape, on Aug. 1 and received a sentence of life in prison plus 1,000 years.

– Chelsea Regan

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