Ariel Castro
Ariel Castro, 53, was a former bus driver, and his family claimed his body after his death. He was found hanging in his cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, on the evening of September 3, 2013, and was pronounced dead at a hospital. The Franklin County coroner's autopsy found suicide by hanging, while prison officials said he had been on protective custody checks every 30 minutes rather than suicide watch. The ACLU of Ohio has questioned whether he was properly screened for suicide risk, and his lawyer has called for an investigation, which the state's corrections department is also conducting.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (neglect alleged). The Franklin County coroner ruled it a suicide by hanging, and the ACLU of Ohio has questioned whether he was properly screened for suicide risk, while the state corrections department is reviewing the care he received in the days before his death.
Reported by: Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak (medical examiner or coroner); Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (the agency that held him); ACLU of Ohio (advocates).