WWE Chris Benoit Found Dead

Wrestling star Chris Benoit, his wife, Nancy, and their 7-year-old son, Daniel, were found dead in their suburban Atlanta home Monday. The deaths are being investigated as a possible suicide and double homicide, authorities told ABC News.

Lt. Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department told ABC News that Benoit had missed several appointments over the weekend, leading concerned parties to ask police to do a "welfare check." When sheriffs arrived at the Benoits' home, they found the wrestler, his wife and their son dead.

There were no signs of gunshot wounds or stabbing, according to Pope. Authorities are not ruling out other causes, such as poisoning, suffocation or strangulation. Pope told ABC News that his department is looking at this situation as a "possible double murder, suicide."

Pope said "the instruments of death were located on scene," but he would not specify what those instruments are or where in the house the bodies were found. Pope added the department is "not actively searching for any suspects outside of the house."

An autopsy has been scheduled for Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. However, it could be weeks before there is a result.

Benoit, 40, was scheduled to spar against C.M. Punk in a pay-per-view event Sunday night in Houston for the Extreme Champion Wrestling title. But Benoit canceled before the event, citing personal reasons.

A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Benoit was known in the ring as the "Canadian Crippler."

Following the announcement of the deaths, World Wrestling Entertainment issued a statement: "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 toward 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."

WWE announced that it would drop its planned Monday night line-up on the USA Network to air a three-hour tribute to Benoit.

In a sport known for bravado and bullying, Benoit was very much beloved and respected by his peers. He was passionate about his profession and served as a mentor to many younger, up-and-coming performers. As an indication of how much the fans enjoyed him, when the crowd in Houston's Toyota Center learned Sunday night that he wouldn't be there, they chanted, "We want Benoit!"

Benoit's wife was also in the wrestling business as a valet and manager. She was known as "Woman." The two met while they both worked for the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling, which was owned by Ted Turner until Vince McMahon's WWE bought it out.

i was deeply saddened by this report and to find out that they are considering that it was a double murder-suicide, which would mean that chris killed his wife and son and then in turn himself...

Preliminary autopsy results from the state crime lab, laid out a roughly 24-hour timeline that began Friday with the 40-year-old wrestler killing his wife in an upstairs family room.

Nancy Benoit was bound, had blood under her head and was wrapped in a towel, Pope said. Fayette Count District Attorney Scott Ballard described the state of her body -- facedown on the hardwood floor -- as "the only sign of a struggle."

"Her hands were bound together, her feet were bound together and there was a little blood over her face," Ballard told ABC News in an interview after the press conference. "The medical examiner found bruising on the small of her back and bruising on the front of her body consistent with being crushed up against the floor."

Police say Benoit then asphyxiated their son early Saturday morning. The boy was found face down in his bed and there were no handmarks on his neck, Ballard said.

Benoit killed himself in the basement either late Saturday or early Sunday. Ballard said the wrestler, listed as 5-foot-10, 220-pound, was found hanging by his neck from a weight machine.

There was no type of suicide note within the house that we located," Pope said. There was also no sign of forced entry or evidence of any type of burglary attempt.