Ariel Castro Dead: Kidnapper Rapist Hanged Self in Jail Cell

Castro, who held three women captive in his home for nearly a decade has been found dead in his cell. It is currently believed to be a case of suicide, according to prison officials.

Castro, 53, was found hanging in his cell at 9:20 p.m. Tuesday. Medical staff at the prison performed CPR on Castro, before transporting him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Castro was in an isolated cell, and was being checked on every 30 minutes, mostly due to the infamy of his case. Prison officials say he was not on suicide watch, though rapists and pedophiles notoriously suffer disproportionate abuse in prison from their fellow inmates.

Castro's three victims all disappeared between 2002 and 2004, at ages ranging from 14-20. Amanda Berry, one of the captives, caught the attention of Castro's neighbors with her screams, leading to her rescue on May 6.

Castro was arrested that evening, and was recently to life in prison and 1,000 years for his guilty plea on 937 counts, including kidnapping and rape.

Though this looks like a clear case of suicide, prisons have been in the news lately for lax supervision of prisoner violence and vigilante justice. CNN covered a story where a Miami prison's doors repeatedly and inexplicably opened, allowing prisoners to pursue a revenge attack against a fellow inmate.

Whether by his own hand, or those of his fellow inmates, Castro's death will unlikely garner much sympathy from a public that was outraged by his brutal crimes.