CINCINNATI – Otto Warmbier, the U.S. student freed from North Korea, has died.
His family said in a statement released by a hospital that Warmbier died Monday afternoon.
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The 22-year-old Warmbier returned home to Ohio last week after being imprisoned in North Korea for over 17 months
Upon his return, Warmbier was found to be suffering from "unresponsive wakefulness," also known as a persistent vegetative state.
Doctors said Warmbier suffered severe brain damage during his detention.
The family thanked the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for treating him but said, "Unfortunately, the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today.
President Trump called North Korea a "brutal regime" following the death of Warmbier.
Trump says, "Lot of bad things happened but at least we got him home to be with his parents."
The University of Virginia student was detained in January 2016 at Pyongyang Airport for allegedly attempting to steal a banner containing a political slogan.
He was found guilty of committing a "hostile act" against the country and sentenced in March 2016 to 15 years of hard labor.