Tests find steroid in wrestler's body

July 18, 2007

DECATUR, Ga. -- Pro wrestler Chris Benoit had a steroid and other drugs in his system when he killed his wife and young son last month and hanged himself in their home, investigators said Tuesday.

Benoit's body contained 10 times the normal level of testosterone, as well as anti-anxiety drug Xanax and painkiller hydrocodone, authorities said.

The testosterone, a synthetic version of the primary male sex hormone, is considered an anabolic steroid. The state's top medical examiner said it appeared to have been injected shortly before Benoit died.

Dr. Kris Sperry said there was no evidence of any other steroids in the wrestler's body and nothing to show that steroids played a role in the deaths of Nancy and Daniel Benoit. He said the 7-year-old boy appeared to have been sedated when he was asphyxiated, and Benoit's wife had a "therapeutic" level of sedatives in her body.

Investigators found prescription anabolic steroids in the home, raising questions about whether the drugs played a role in the killings.

Benoit's wife tested positive for Xanax, hydrocodone and the painkiller hydromorphone. Daniel had Xanax in his system, authorities said.