Ariel Castro, Cleveland kidnapper, found hanged in prison cell

(CNN) -- Ariel Castro, who was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years for kidnapping and raping three women, as well as murder, was found hanging in his prison cell Tuesday night.

Authorities found Castro, 52, hanging in his cell at the Correctional Reception Center in Orient, Ohio, about 9:20 p.m., the state's Department of Corrections said.

Prison medical staff tried to revive him but failed.

Castro was taken to The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 10:52 p.m.

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Castro's brother-in-law, Juan Alicea, told CNN that the family was notified by the warden about 1 a.m. The family is angry, Alicea said, that it learned about the death from media reports first.

Castro was not a part of the general prison population, officials said.

"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," JoEllen Smith of the corrections department told CNN in a statement.

"A thorough review of this incident is underway," she added.

No place in the world

In handing down a sentence last month, Judge Michael Russo told the kidnapper there was no place in the world for his brand of criminal.

Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping, in exchange for the death penalty being taken off the table.

The charges stem from his kidnapping, rape and assault of three women: Michelle Knight, abducted in 2002; Georgina DeJesus, abducted in 2004; and Amanda Berry; abducted in 2003.

Castro is the father of Berry's 6-year-old girl, DNA tests confirmed.

Sylvia Colon, a family member and spokeswoman for DeJesus, said early Wednesday morning she had not heard about the death and had not yet spoken to her family about it.