Chris Benoit May Have Murdered Wife Nancy Daus Benoit Before Weekend

Police in Fayetteville County, Georgia were working on a theory that Professional Wrestler Chris Benoit may have killed his wife, Nancy Daus Benoit, and 7-year old son, Daniel, days before taking his own life.

Speaking to WAGA TV in Atlanta, Detective Bo Turner stated that the police were leaning towards a scenario where Chris Benoit had murdered his wife and child over the weekend, then committed suicide early Monday.  Even more bizarre is that Nancy may have been killed on Saturday, son Daniel on Sunday, then Chris Benoit took his own life some time Monday morning. 

All three were found dead on Monday afternoon in their suburban Atlanta home though there were no immediate signs of stabbings or gun shot wounds.

Benoit was found dead in his weight room. Nancy was found dead in the living room. Daniel was found dead in his bedroom, according to an unnamed source in the department.

Lt. Tommy Pope told ABC News "the instruments of death were located on the scene," but didn't specify what those were or where they were found. Pope said the department was not actively searching for any suspects outside the house.

Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "The details, when they come out, are going to prove a little bizarre."

Those details may emerge after the completion of autopsies scheduled for Tuesday.

"I'm comfortable with our belief that this is a murder-suicide," Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said Tuesday.

According to CrimeBlog, Benoit worked his way out of that “underrated” category, and by 2004, he’d won the world heavyweight championship belt. His career had lodged in the upper echelons of wrestling fame.

Along the way, though, he’d apparently had very real heartbreak to deal with.

Benoit’s original mentor in the wrestling business had been Stu Hart, father of famed wrestling brothers Bret and Owen Hart. Benoit was known to be close to Owen Hart, and he was reportedly devastated after Hart’s tragic death in May, 1999.

Nancy Daus was also very much involved in Professional Wrestling.  Once married to Kevin Sullivan, she re-invented herself as "Woman".  She was a manager and valet in the World Championship Wrestling among other organizations. 

Benoit failed to appear at Saturday's live wrestling event in Beaumont, Texas., and at WWE's "Vengeance: Night of Champions" in Houston Sunday night. WWE said Benoit had a "family emergency."

As news of the death's spread, the wrestling blogosphere erupted in disbelief.

Fans were initially alerted by text messages on their cell phones.  By late Monday, the WWE and its Chairperson, Vince McMahon, announced the news live.  An entire three hours was devoted to Chris Benoit's career Monday night, replacing what was to be a live RAW event. 

"Obviously, all sorts of speculation are running rampant but I have talked to so many people and nobody really knows," said Bryan Alvarez, who runs Figurefour Weekly, a wrestling newsletter and Web site, from Lynwood, Wash.

The WWE issued a statement Monday night:

"Chris was beloved among his fellow Superstars, and was a favorite among WWE fans for his unbelievable athleticism and wrestling ability. He always took great pride in his performance, and always showed respect for the business he loved, for his peers and towards his fans. This is a terrible tragedy and an unbearable loss. WWE extends its sincere condolences and prayers to the Benoit family and loved ones in this time of tragedy."

A native of Canada, Benoit maintained a residence in metro Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the now-defunct Ted Turner-owned World Championship Wrestling organization.

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Christopher Costigan, Sports911.com

Originally published June 26, 2007 10:34 pm ET