Raids, 'Roids, Denials in Benoit Probe

With authorities attempting to figure out what led wrestling superstar Chris Benoit to murder his wife and seven-year-old son and then kill himself, including focusing on the grappler's steroid use, World Wrestling Entertainment continues to downplay any role 'roid rage may have had in the horrific events.

Federal drug agents raided the Carrollton, Georgia, offices of Dr. Phil Astin, Benoit's personal physician, late Wednesday night, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration in Atlanta confirmed. While the rep was tight-lipped on what agents were looking for, local reports say some medical records were confiscated.

Astin could not be reached for comment Thursday. He said earlier this week that Benoit had paid him a visit last Friday and that he had previously treated the wrestler for low testosterone levels likely resulting from prior steroid use.

"He was in my office on Friday to stop by just to see my staff," Astin told the Associated Press. "He certainly didn't show any signs of distress or rage or anything. I'm still very surprised and shocked, especially with his child, Daniel, involved. He worshipped his child."

Astin, who was friends with Benoit, declined to reveal whether he gave Benoit any medication on Friday but confirmed prescribing testosterone for the wrestler in the past.

Georgia authorities have also been looking into whether the Web-based MedXLife and Signature Pharmacy may have sold Benoit steroids, testosterone and human-growth hormone over the Internet. (Daniel, who was born with Fragile X Syndrome, a form of mental retardation, had reportedly been given human growth hormone by his parents because they were concerned about his stunted growth.)

Prosecutors in upstate New York, who had initiated their own probe into the online drug purveyors, reported that shipments had been sent to Benoit. (An osteopath in Florida has pleaded guilty to six counts pertaining to the criminal sale of a controlled substance in New York state court while the co-owners of MedXLife copped to felony third-degree diversion of prescription medications and prescriptions.)

Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard declined to comment on the DEA raid, saying he did not want to jeopardize an ongoing investigation. However, at a press conference earlier this week, he said the prescription drugs, including anabolic steroids, found in Benoit's home were all legally obtained.

After that press conference, the WWE went into spin control, issuing a statement cautioning the media and fans from concluding that Benoit's actions were fueled by steroids.

Appearing Thursday on NBCs' Today, WWE chairman Vince McMahon tried to smack down host Meredith Vieira's insinuation that steroid abuse may have been the culprit.

"Obviously, this wasn't an act of rage, this was an act of deliberation," McMahon said. "There was no indication whatsoever that this man could turn into this monster and do what he did...Steroids may or may not have had something to do with it...[or] other pressures perhaps with his wife and son."

McMahon noted that Benoit's wife, Nancy, filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order against her husband in 2003, both of which she withdrew when the pair reconciled.

McMahon also said the WWE instituted "comprehensive" drug testing in 2006 and "the last test Chris Benoit took was in April and was totally negative." He added that authorities won't know for sure whether Benoit had steroids in his system until toxicology reports come back in two weeks.

Meanwhile, Jerry McDevitt, an attorney representing World Wrestling Entertainment, told the Associated Press the Benoits often bickered about how much time he was devoting to the care of their mentally impaired son.

"I think it's fair to say that the subject of caring for that child was part of what made their relationship complicated and difficult, and it's something they were both constantly struggling with," McDevitt said. "We do know it was a source of stress and consternation."

The lawyer also said Benoit was "feeling depressed" and took off four months from the WWE in 2006 for undisclosed personal reasons.

Investigators in Fayetteville, Georgia, remain baffled as to why one of the WWE's biggest draws strangled his 43-year-old wife to death Friday night in their suburban Atlanta home, and then smothered his son the next day.

Benoit, 40, placed Bibles next to both murder victims and then sent chilling text messages Sunday morning to friends, prompting them to alert the police out of concern for his welfare.

By the time police arrived at the home, Benoit had hanged himself with a pulley cord from a piece of gym equipment.

Detectives also announced another mystery: Who updated Benoit's Wikipedia entry with news of his wife's death more than 12 hours before police discovered the bodies?

A Wikipedia spokesman says the page was changed just early Monday to say that Benoit had missed a match due to his wife's death two days before.

The online encyclopedia traced the user's IP address to Stamford, Connecticut, the home base of WWE, but it is not known if the person who edited the entry was actually in Connecticut.

McDevitt said he was unaware of anyone at WWE knowing Nancy Benoit was dead before police found her body. Chris Benoit's text messages were sent to coworkers hours after the Wikipedia update.