Ariel Castro commits suicide, held 3 women captive in Cleveland

COLUMBUS (AP) — The man serving a life prison term for kidnapping three women and repeatedly raping them in his home for nearly a decade has been found dead in his cell, and preliminary autopsy results confirmed it was a suicide by hanging.

Ariel Castro, 53, was found hanging in his cell around 9:20 p.m. Tuesday at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, located south of Columbus in central Ohio, JoEllen Smith, Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman, said early today. Prison medical staff performed CPR before Castro was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 10:50 p.m.

Castro was in protective custody because of the notoriety of his case, meaning he was checked every 30 minutes, but was not on suicide watch, Smith said. She said suicide watch entails constant observation.

An autopsy early today showed the death was a suicide, and the cause of death was hanging, said Dr. Jan Gorniak, the Franklin County coroner. She said toxicology tests still would be completed in the coming weeks.

Gorniak said she couldn't comment on the circumstances in which Castro was found.