Ariel Castro dead; Cleveland kidnapper committed suicide in prison cell

By Lateef Mungin and Dave Alsup, CNN

Ariel Castro committed suicide by hanging himself with a bedsheet in his prison cell, officials said.

(CNN) -- Ariel Castro, who was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years for kidnapping and raping three women, as well as murder, committed suicide in his prison cell Tuesday night, the Frankin County, Ohio, coroner's office said.

Castro hanged himself with a bedsheet, Dr. Jan Gorniak of the Franklin County Coroner's Office told CNN Wednesday.

Authorities found Castro, 52, hanged in his cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, about 9:20 p.m., the state's Department of Corrections said.

Prison medical staff tried to revive him but failed.

Castro was taken to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m.

Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued

Castro's brother-in-law, Juan Alicea, told CNN that the family was notified by the warden about 1 a.m. The family is angry, Alicea said, that it learned about the death from media reports first.

Another family member, Maria Castro-Montes, said she cried when she heard the news.

Her first thoughts were with the three victims -- Michelle Knight, Georgina DeJesus and Amanda Berry -- and what they must be feeling. Would they be glad or angry about Castro's death?

The three women held captive by Castro are aware of his suicide, Knight's attorney, Kathryn Joseph, told CNN. She said the women will not be making a statement.

Castro-Montes said nearly everyone in the family had cut ties with Castro, and relatives hope that with his death, the tragic story can come to an end.

"It was just shock and part of it was even relief in hopes that now this will just end all of it and that his name will not be out in the spotlight for years and years to come," she told CNN. "I just hope the victims can move past this now."

Castro was not a part of the general prison population, officials 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," JoEllen Smith of the corrections department told CNN in a written statement.

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