Ariel Castro found dead in prison cell

Former school bus driver Ariel Castro, sentenced to life in prison for the abduction, rape and torture of three Cleveland women he held captive for years in his house, was found dead in his Ohio prison cell late on Tuesday (September 3), a state corrections official said.

Castro, 53, who was under protective custody in isolation from other inmates at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, was found hanged by prison staff during their rounds at the facility, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said.

Castro was transferred to an area hospital and pronounced dead about 90 minutes later, she said.