Convicted Cleveland kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro was found dead late Tuesday in his prison cell in Ohio. The New York Daily News reports the 52-year-old hung himself.

On Aug. 1, Castro was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years in prison after being convicted on charges of kidnapping and raping three women in his Cleveland home for more than a decade.

JoEllen Smith of the Ohio Department of Corrections issued a statement saying in part:

“Inmate Ariel Castro was found hanging in his cell this evening at 9:20 p.m. 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."

Castro was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m., according to the statement. An investigation is underway by the Ohio Department of Corrections.

More From 97.3 The Dawg