Corrections Consultants: Ariel Castro Killed Himself

Did not die because of auto-erotic asphyxiation gone wrong

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro committed suicide by hanging himself in his prison cell, two corrections consultants concluded following a review of his death released Tuesday, rejecting earlier suggestions that he may have died accidentally while seeking a sexual thrill.

Castro's Sept. 3 death was likely not the result of autoerotic asphyxiation, an act in which individuals seek a thrill by choking themselves into unconsciousness, according to the report by the nationally regarded consultants. A review by the state prisons agency earlier this fall suggested that possibility.