Cleveland Kidnapper Ariel Castro Found Dead

Multiple news sources tonight are reporting that Ariel Castro, convicted of kidnapping and raping three women in Cleveland, was found dead of an apparent suicide in his prison cell.

According to a statement from Ohio prison spokesperson JoEllen Smith, Castro's body was discovered earlier this evening:

Inmate Ariel Castro was found hanging in his cell this evening at 9:20 pm at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient. 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 OSUMC where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 pm. A thorough review of this incident is underway and more information can be provided as it becomes available pending the status of the investigation.

Castro's body was discovered at the Correction Reception center in Ohio, where he had been held.

Photo by Angelo Merendino/Getty Images)

Castro received a sentence of more than 1,000 years in August for the kidnapping and sexual assault of Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus. The women were held by Castro, repeatedly sexually assaulted and brutally tortured, at his Cleveland home for more than a decade.

On Aug. 7, a week after the sentencing, Castro's home was torn down and destroyed.

Stay with this station for more developments on this breaking news story.