Chris Benoit strangled his wife and smothered his son before hanging himself in his weight room, a law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity. Authorities also said they are investigating whether steroids may have been a factor in the deaths of Benoit, his wife and their 7-year-old 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. “We don’t know yet. That’s one of the things we’ll be looking at,” he said. Autopsies were scheduled Tuesday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in DeKalb County. Fayette County Coroner C.J. 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 Tuesday. 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.
