ATLANTA — Federal drug agents and sheriff’s officials raided the office of pro wrestler Chris Benoit’s personal physician in search of records and other items, authorities said Thursday.
The raid at Dr. Phil Astin’s office in Carrollton began Wednesday night and concluded early Thursday, said agent Chuvalo Truesdell, a spokesman for the Drug Enforcement Administration in Atlanta. The search warrant had been obtained in connection with the Benoit investigation, he said.
Hours before the raid, Astin told The Associated Press he had treated Benoit for low testosterone levels, which he said likely originated from previous steroid use.
No arrests were made and Truesdell was unable to say what was seized. He said records were among the items being sought, but he could not be more specific.
Astin did not return repeated calls to his cell phone from The Associated Press on Thursday.
Astin prescribed testosterone for Benoit, a longtime friend, in the past but would not say what, if any, medications he prescribed when Benoit visited his office Friday.
Benoit strangled his wife and smothered son during the weekend, placing Bibles next to their bodies, before hanging himself on the cable of a weight-machine in his home. No motive was offered for the killings, which were discovered Monday.
Anabolic steroids were found in Benoit’s home, leading officials to wonder whether the drugs played a role in the slayings. Some experts believe steroids cause paranoia, depression and violent outbursts known as “roid rage.”
Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said in a statement Thursday that he could not immediately comment on the raid.
Also Thursday, Ballard told the AP that 10 empty beer cans were found in a trash can in the Benoit home. An empty wine bottle was found a few feet from where Benoit hanged himself, Ballard said.
It could take several weeks for toxicology tests to be completed on Benoit to see what medications, if any, were in his system.
In the days before the killings, Benoit and his wife argued over whether he should stay home more to take care of their mentally retarded 7-year-old son, according to an attorney for the WWE wrestling league.
The child suffered from a rare medical condition called Fragile X Syndrome, an inherited form of mental retardation often accompanied by autism.