WWE star 'strangled wife and smothered son'

Professional wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife and smothered his seven-year-old son before hanging himself in his weight room, near Atlanta, Georgia, a law enforcement official close to the investigation said.

Authorities also said they are investigating whether steroids may have been a factor in the deaths of Benoit, his wife and their son who were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide.

Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said test results may not be back for weeks or even months.

Autopsies were scheduled today by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in DeKalb County.

Authorities had said they were investigating the deaths at a secluded Fayette County home as a murder-suicide and were not seeking any suspects.

Investigators believe Benoit killed his wife, 43-year-old Nancy, and seven-year-old son Daniel during the weekend and then himself yesterday.

The bodies were found yesterday afternoon in three separate rooms of the house, off a gravel road about two miles from a country club.

Ballard said a gun was not used in any of the deaths, but he would not say how the three died.

“We’re pretty sure we know, but we want to confirm it with the crime lab,” Ballard said.

Fayette County Coroner CJ Mowell did not return calls seeking comment. The answering service for his funeral home said he was out of town.

Authorities also declined to say whether drugs or steroids were found inside the house. “We’re not releasing any information as far as what was located inside the house,” sheriff’s Sgt Keith Whiteside said today.

Asked about the condition of the interior of the house, Whiteside said investigators found “nothing really out of the ordinary”.

He said Benoit was found in the home’s weight room, his wife in an office and the son in an upstairs bedroom.

Whiteside said toxicology tests could take up to a week or longer to complete.

Neighbours said the Benoits led a low-key lifestyle.

World Wrestling Entertainment said on its website that it asked authorities to check on Benoit and his family after being alerted by friends who received “several curious text messages sent by Benoit early on Sunday morning.”

The WWE, based in Stamford, Connecticut, said it had been asked by authorities not to release further information on the deaths.

Benoit, born in Montreal, was a former world heavyweight champion, Intercontinental champion and held several tag-team titles. His names in the ring included “The Canadian Crippler”.

“WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family’s relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy,” the company said in a statement on its website.

He stood out at an early age among wrestling prospects who trained in the dungeon basement of the house where fellow Canadians and professional wrestlers Owen and Bret Hart trained. Owen Hart was killed during a wrestling event in 1999.

“He was like a family member to me, and everyone in my family is taking it real hard,” said Bret Hart, a five-time champion with the World Wrestling Federation. The federation has since changed its name to World Wrestling Entertainment.

Benoit had maintained a home in Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the defunct World Championship Wrestling. The Fayette County Tax Assessors Office lists the value of the house, situated on more than 8.5 acres, at nearly $900,000 (€668,227).

The WWE cancelled its live Monday Night RAW show in Corpus Christi, Texas, and instead aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit in place of the scheduled wrestling telecast, which was shown live on Sky Sports in the UK.

Benoit’s wife managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name Woman and Fallen Angel.

They met when her then-husband drew up a script that had them involved in a relationship as part of a story line on World Championship Wrestling, the newspaper said.

Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship.