We are still awaiting further details, but PWInsider.com is extremely saddened to report that former WWE and WCW World champion Chris Benoit and his wife, former WCW and ECW personality Nancy "Woman" Benoit were both found dead today in Atlanta, Georgia. Obviously this will be a huge developing story in the days to come but at this point, we'd like to express our deepest condolences to the Benoits' family, friends, and fans at this time.

A meeting is currently ongoing at WWE TV and it is expected that tonight's three hour Raw will now be dedicated to Benoit's memory.

6:09 Update: WWE.com issued the following statement this afternoon: "WWE is sad to report that Chris Benoit and his family have been found dead in their home. Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Tonight's Raw will be a tribute to Chris and his family."

I am praying to god that this is not a damn storyline they are trying to do. Everyone within the company felt like it was a bad idea to do a Vince McMahon "death" angle 3 weeks ago. A few days later, legendary female wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer Sheri Martel died. Yet they continued the angle. This week's 3 hour RAW was do be in "memorial" for Vince, however with the passing of Benoit and family, they are not supposed to be doing a tribute to him.

Everyone within the company (i.e. those with damn sense) did not want to continue the angle after the passing of Martel, but if they were to continue it now, it would be in EXTREMELY poor taste. People wondered what would happen if Vince really died during this story, well now something has really happened to his top wrestler. The entire company should be ashamed of themselves for mocking such a real life tragedy when they did. Now something horrible has really happened.

It doesn't really matter who did it, Chris, Nancy and their 7 year old Daniel are dead. Can we please have some respect for them and Chris' fans and not speculate on who did it, who's to blame for this. It's a tragedy that three people are dead, there is no need for speculations on the reason why - we may never know the reason why.

I'm sorry, but it's is no longer speculation when the authorities are reporting the actual facts. The man savagely killed his wife, son and then himself. There's no guessing about that.

There's no more denials. He may have seemed like a nice guy. I wouldn't have thought he was capable of such devastation because I held him in such high esteem, but the man and myth apparently collided this past weekend. It's a tragedy that three lives are lost consequenly. It's not maligning his character to state what's true.

Updates:

PWTorch.com has learned that one major media entity has received an email purporting to be from a friend of the Chris Benoit extended family saying that Benoit accidentally killed his wife in a domestic argument, then panicked and killed his son later so his son could be with his mother rather than grow up without a mom and knowing his father as a murdererer.

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Before her grisly death, Chris Benoit's wife once told a judge that she was, "intimidated by threats of violence" from her 220 lb. husband.

In divorce papers filed in 2003, Nancy Benoit included a petition for protection from domestic abuse against Chris. In the papers, Nancy claimed that Benoit, "lost his temper and threatened to strike the petitioner and cause extensive damage to the home and personal belongings of the parties, including furniture." Nancy added that she was, "in reasonable fear for petitioner's own safety and that of the minor child."

Three months later, Nancy filed to have the divorce papers and the restraining order dismissed. A short time later, a judge granted her wish.

As TMZ first reported, law enforcement sources tell TMZ they believe Benoit strangled his wife on Saturday, smothered his son on Sunday and then hanged himself on Monday.

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AP: Benoit strangled wife, smothered son

By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer 43 minutes ago

ATLANTA - Pro wrestler 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 on Tuesday.

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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. Steroid abuse has been linked to depression, paranoia, and aggressive behavior or angry outbursts known as "roid rage."

"We don't know yet. That's one of the things we'll be looking at," said Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard. He said test results may not be back for weeks.

Autopsies were scheduled Tuesday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Authorities were investigating the deaths at a secluded Fayette County home as a murder-suicide and were not seeking any suspects. The official who described the manner of death spoke on the condition of anonymity because the information was to be released at a news conference later Tuesday.

Investigators believe Benoit (pronounced ben-WAH) killed his wife, 43-year-old Nancy, and son Daniel during the weekend and then himself Monday. The bodies were found Monday afternoon in three separate rooms of the house, off a gravel road about two miles from the Whitewater Country Club.

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.

Asked about the condition of the interior of the house, sheriff's Sgt. Keith 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.

Neighbors said the Benoits led a low-key lifestyle.

"We would see Chris walking in his yard from time to time. He wasn't rude, but he wasn't really outwardly warm," said Alaina Jones, who lives across the street.

Jimmy Baswell, who was Benoit's driver for more than five years, placed a white wreath at the Benoits' gate. "They always seemed like they were the happiest people," he said.

World Wrestling Entertainment said on its Web site 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 Sunday morning."

The WWE, based in Stamford, Conn., said authorities asked that it not 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 Web site.

"He was like a family member to me, and everyone in my family is taking it real hard," said fellow Canadian 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 metro 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.

The WWE canceled its live "Monday Night RAW" card in Corpus Christi, Texas, and USA Network aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit in place of the scheduled wrestling telecast.

Benoit's wife managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name "Woman." 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 Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship.

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Associated Press writers Debbie Newby and Jason Bronis contributed to this report.

oy....that is sad and sick at the same time. I wish she would have gotten away from that man when she had the chance. The whole thing is so tragic

Nancy and Chris' court documents stating that Chris abused her and a protection order was put in place.

http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0626_benoit_dismiss.pdf

I'm sorry but I want to know why. I used to watch Wrestling as a teen and I loved WWE. And to find this out today is just beyond shocking to me. Yes its a tragedy. I feel sad for that poor little boy and the wife.

As for the cause I think it was roid rage. Most wrestlers are on them and Chris always looked a lot more jacked than most.

"He was like a family member to me, and everyone in my family is taking it real hard," said fellow Canadian Bret Hart, a five-time champion with the World Wrestling Federation."

So sad...

Edited June 26, 200718 yr by ATWTCarOn4Ever

Got this from another board but its from the PC:

Here is a summary of the press conference:

Still awaiting toxicology reports - could take several weeks. He had a lot of prescription mediations that appear to be legal. Did have anabolic steroids in the house, but they don't yet know if there were steriods in their bodies.

Asphixiation of both the wife (body found in an office area or family room upstairs) sometime on Friday with a Bible by her body and the son (in a bedroom in his bed upstairs) estimated sometime on Saturday morning, again with a Bible by his body. Hung himself in the basement (in the weight room) using the cord from the weight machine on Saturday night or Sunday morning. There was no suicide note.

Benoit had previously been arrested for DUI. Investigator is not aware of any prior domestic violence claims at the current residence and is not aware of a prior divorce filing by the wife.

He had text messaged a co-worker. It was received several hours after originally texted. Would not reveal contents of text message.

DA says the circumstances are bizzare - meaning that there was some period of time between the death of the two victims and the suicide. He finds is strange that Benoit would stay in the home with the bodies for some time before killing himself. The wife was found with blood under her head and on her wrists and feet. DA has been told that in 2003 the wife sought a temporary protective order that was later dismissed - it might have been domestic violence, but he is not sure.

DA is baffled about the motive - he can not understand why anyone would kill a 7 year old baby. There was no evidence that Benoit attempted to hide the bodies.

They are confident that it was a murder-suicide, but will look into any evidence to the contrary.

All of these revelations are worse than I would've have ever imagined. People were so many disguises but Benoit was a monster. I think he could have easily had a mental disease. To stay in a home with two dead bodies? Bound and brutalize your wife? Kill your son?

I suppose I'm not surprised they found steroids.

Update:

News conference notes from Fayetteville, GA:

From: WGGL shown on Fox News

- Lt. Pope: WWE called police officials at 2:30PM on Monday over concern for Benoit’s well being. Police found all three bodies in the home. “Double Homicide Suicide” is the official ruling.

- It appears Benoit killed his wife on Friday, his son shortly after, and likely hanged himself either late Saturday night or early Sunday.

- No suicide note was left behind.

- Asphyxiation is the official ruling for Benoit’s wife and son deaths.

- Benoit was previously arrested for a DUI.

- A lot of prescription medication was found in the home, legal prescriptions.

- Police found anabolic steroids in the home.

- No comment from police regarding a possible motivation.

- He killed himself several hours, but no more than a day, after killing son Daniel.

- Police is unaware of prior domestic violence.

- District Attorney Scott Ballard stated that a Bible was placed near each murder victim.

- Benoit bond Nancy’s hands and feet and she was wrapped in a towel. Blood was found near Nancy’s body.

- In 2003, a temporary restraining order was sought but later dropped.

- Benoit made no attempt to hide the bodies.

- The DA himself has not heard from WWE.

- Daniel was found in an upstairs bedroom. Benoit’s wife was also found in an upstairs family room, and Benoit hung himself in the weight room in the basement.

- The toxicology reports are still pending. It will probably take more than two weeks for the reports to be finished.

- Benoit apparently called WWE stating that Daniel was coughing up blood, thus likely the “personal reasons” for missing weekend house shows.

As someone who grew up idolizing Chris Benoit and the accomplishments he made in the ring, I will separate the man who performed for millions of fans all over the world week in and week out for well over 20 years, from the man who committed this atrocious act.

I will not pass judgment upon him. I can say that until this information came out, I had a profound respect for the things Chris Benoit did outside of professional wrestling. I still do I guess. I did not know the man personally, though I met him a few times at fan events. No one knows what makes people tick, or what makes them snap. I only hope that wrestling fans all over the world will respect the privacy of the family and not turn this into some kind of speculating game.

I will pray for his soul and the family that was left behind. To think that I had such admiration for a man who would do this to his family just......

I will pray for his soul and the souls of the lives he took.

I too don't know what may have happened to make Chris go this route in his life.... I just hope that his family as well as Nancy's family can one day find peace. My prayers are with both of their families.

I never knew him outside the ring or followed his life outside his wrestling career. Chris Benoit, the wrestler, was an amazing performer and I always enjoyed watching him in the ring. So I'm going to choose to remember him as the man who entertained me for so many years.

We will probably never know why he did this to his family.

This is such a tragedy.

It doesn't really matter who did it, Chris, Nancy and their 7 year old Daniel are dead. Can we please have some respect for them and Chris' fans and not speculate on who did it, who's to blame for this. It's a tragedy that three people are dead, there is no need for speculations on the reason why - we may never know the reason why.

Respectfully, yes, it does.

I've found myself greatly affected by this tragedy, more so than I ever thought I could. I spent the better half of today just trying to put the entire situation into a perspective I could comprehend, though I found the task impossible. I don't think anyone can understand how another's mind works. Today at work I found myself struggling to endure the talk of my coworkers who heard of the tragedy on the news. I almost felt angry that they talking about him as though he were another one of the monsters that are so regularly featured on the news today. They didn't know Chris Benoit like I did. They didn't spend years watching this man like I had, following his career, being a fan. But then I realized, I knew just as much about Chris Benoit as they did. Just like everyone else in the business, Chris Benoit led two lives. His professional and his personal. The man we all knew, admired, and loved to watch perform was Chris Benoit, professional wrestler. None of us ever knew Chris Benoit, the human being. Anyone can speculate about the circumstances of Benoit's private life, though none of us will ever really know how this tragedy came to be. As there are two sides to every story, there are two sides to every man. I'll choose to remember Chris Benoit, The Professional Wrestler, the man with a list of accomplishments that should undoubtedly be honored and the man I spent years as a fan of; and not Chris Benoit, The Human Being, the man I never knew.

"He was like a family member to me, and everyone in my family is taking it real hard," said fellow Canadian Bret Hart, a five-time champion with the World Wrestling Federation.

I knew Chris was close to the Hart family and thought of them as soon as the news broke. It really has been one personal tragedy after another for them in recent years.

Update:

From WWE.com ----

WWE® Shocked At Latest Developments In Benoit Tragedy, Concerned By Sensationalistic Reporting

Written: June 26, 2007

STAMFORD, Conn., June 26, 2007 – World Wrestling Entertainment is stunned and saddened by the details released by local authorities concerning the double homicide-suicide involving Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and his son, Daniel.

However, WWE is concerned with the sensationalistic reporting and speculation being undertaken by some members of the media following the press conference held by the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department and the District Attorney. During the press conference, the investigating authorities made the following points, all of which run contrary to the media speculation that "roid rage" was a factor in the senseless murders and suicide:

1. The authorities stated that all drugs found in the house were believed to be legal prescriptions.

2. Steroids were not, and could not, be related to the cause of death (asphyxiation). Authorities had no factual basis to speculate as to Benoit’s state of mind, and rightly did not do so.

3. Toxicology tests have not even been completed, so there is no current evidence that Benoit even had steroids or any other substance in his body. In that regard, on the last test done on Benoit by WWE's independently administered drug testing program, done on April 10, 2007, Benoit tested negative.

4. The physical findings announced by authorities indicate deliberation, not rage. The wife's feet and hands were bound and she was asphyxiated, not beaten to death. By the account of the authorities, there were substantial periods of time between the death of the wife and the death of the son, again suggesting deliberate thought, not rage. The presence of a Bible by each is also not an act of rage.

5. WWE strongly suggests that it is entirely wrong for speculators to suggest that steroids had anything to do with these senseless acts, especially when the authorities plainly stated there is no evidence that Benoit had steroids in his body, pending the toxicological reports, and that they had no evidence at this time as to the motive for these acts.

WWE is continuing to monitor the ongoing investigation being conducted by local authorities.