Ariel Castro, the Cleveland bus driver who kidnapped, raped and tortured three young women he held captive for almost a decade was found dead in his prison cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio on Tuesday evening, according to officials.<br /><br />The 53-year-old was held away from the general prison population due to the high-profile nature of his case. Guards were required to check on him every 30 minutes, but he managed to hang himself and was discovered dead during a routine check. Officials said he appears to have committed suicide, the Los Angeles Times reported.<br /><br />Prison medical staffed performed CPR in an effort to save him before he was transferred to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, a prison spokeswoman said. He was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m.<br /><br />Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts associated with the kidnapping, rape and torture of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight. He was sentenced on August 1 to life in prison plus 1,000 years. It is believed he pleaded guilty in a deal to avoid the death penalty.<br /><br />Castro kidnapped the three women separately between 2002 and 2004. He held them captive for a decade, regularly subjecting them to torture and sexual abuse which resulted in several pregnancies that were violently terminated. Berry gave birth to a child, now 6, fathered by Castro.<br /><br />The three women were rescued by neighbors on May 6. <br /><br />USA Today reported that Twitter users used the hashtag #deadgiveaway in messages, tweeted in anger, as well as enthusiasm, about Castro's death. <br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world. <br /><br />For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:<br />https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:<br />http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user
