Canadian pro wrestling superstar Chris Benoit, his wife and son have been found dead at their suburban Atlanta home, and police said Monday they are treating the matter as a possible murder-suicide.
A detective told television station WAGA that investigators couldn't confirm that suspicion until evidence has been examined by a crime lab.
Lt. Tommy Pope, the lead investigator with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, told ABC News that the "instruments of death were located on scene."
He wouldn't describe the instruments or say where in the house the bodies were found.
The house itself is quite private, set about 60 metres off a gravel road and surrounded by a stone wall with a double-iron gate.
Officers are "not actively searching for any suspects outside of the house," Pope said.
Results of autopsies on Benoit, his wife Nancy, and seven-year-old son Daniel are expected Tuesday, he said.
World Wrestling Entertainment aired a three-hour tribute show to Benoit instead of its usual "Monday Night RAW" TV show on the USA Network.
"I am deeply saddened over the loss of Chris Benoit," WWE Canada president Carl DeMarco said on the WWE website.
"My heartfelt thoughts and sympathy go out to his parents and family. My relationship with Chris has extended many years and I consider him a great friend. Chris was always first-class -- warm, friendly, caring and professional ... one of the best in our business."
Wrestling fan Chris Szabunia told CTV Edmonton: "Definitely a sad day for wrestling and for Edmonton too. ... He's been one of my favourites for a long time, with a local connection, but I like what he does in the ring too."
Benoit, 40, was born in Montreal and grew up in Edmonton, graduating from Archbishop O'Leary High School.
A wrestling fan as a boy, he began his career in 1985, starting with the famous Hart family of Calgary, who operated Stampede Wrestling.
"Wrestling has consumed my life," Benoit is quoted as saying on his WWE bio page. "It's my mistress, my passion. It defines a lot of who I am as a person."
He would wrestle for the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling before joining WWE in 2000.
Four years after that, he would win the world heavyweight championship at Wrestlemania XX. In response, Edmonton declared "Chris Benoit Day" on April 15, 2004.
Benoit stood 180 centimetres tall, weighed about 100 kilograms and looked ripped. Some called him "The Canadian Crippler," in part because he broke another wrestler's neck in 1994. Another nickname was the Rabid Wolverine. His signature move is the "Crippler Crossface."
"Chris was beloved among his fellow superstars, and was a favourite among WWE fans for his unbelievable athleticism and wrestling ability," the WWE said on its website.
"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."
Benoit had been scheduled to wrestle at a pay-per-view event in Houston on Sunday night. However, he got replaced at the last minute for "personal reasons," according to announcer Jim Ross.
With files from CTV Edmonton, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
Chris Benoit as seen in this undated file photo.
A detective told television station WAGA that investigators couldn't confirm that suspicion until evidence has been examined by a crime lab.
Lt. Tommy Pope, the lead investigator with the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, told ABC News that the "instruments of death were located on scene."
He wouldn't describe the instruments or say where in the house the bodies were found.
The house itself is quite private, set about 60 metres off a gravel road and surrounded by a stone wall with a double-iron gate.
Officers are "not actively searching for any suspects outside of the house," Pope said.
Results of autopsies on Benoit, his wife Nancy, and seven-year-old son Daniel are expected Tuesday, he said.
World Wrestling Entertainment aired a three-hour tribute show to Benoit instead of its usual "Monday Night RAW" TV show on the USA Network.
"I am deeply saddened over the loss of Chris Benoit," WWE Canada president Carl DeMarco said on the WWE website.
"My heartfelt thoughts and sympathy go out to his parents and family. My relationship with Chris has extended many years and I consider him a great friend. Chris was always first-class -- warm, friendly, caring and professional ... one of the best in our business."
Wrestling fan Chris Szabunia told CTV Edmonton: "Definitely a sad day for wrestling and for Edmonton too. ... He's been one of my favourites for a long time, with a local connection, but I like what he does in the ring too."
Benoit, 40, was born in Montreal and grew up in Edmonton, graduating from Archbishop O'Leary High School.
A wrestling fan as a boy, he began his career in 1985, starting with the famous Hart family of Calgary, who operated Stampede Wrestling.
"Wrestling has consumed my life," Benoit is quoted as saying on his WWE bio page. "It's my mistress, my passion. It defines a lot of who I am as a person."
He would wrestle for the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling and Extreme Championship Wrestling before joining WWE in 2000.
Four years after that, he would win the world heavyweight championship at Wrestlemania XX. In response, Edmonton declared "Chris Benoit Day" on April 15, 2004.
Benoit stood 180 centimetres tall, weighed about 100 kilograms and looked ripped. Some called him "The Canadian Crippler," in part because he broke another wrestler's neck in 1994. Another nickname was the Rabid Wolverine. His signature move is the "Crippler Crossface."
"Chris was beloved among his fellow superstars, and was a favourite among WWE fans for his unbelievable athleticism and wrestling ability," the WWE said on its website.
"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."
Benoit had been scheduled to wrestle at a pay-per-view event in Houston on Sunday night. However, he got replaced at the last minute for "personal reasons," according to announcer Jim Ross.
With files from CTV Edmonton, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
