Hidden Conflict: Authorities say a common marital issue may have led to the Texas husband allegedly k!lling his wife and two ch!ldren
The victim’s sister, Ly Mai, confirmed that Thy Mitchell and her two children died in a Facebook post on Tuesday, May 5
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(499x0:501x2):format(webp)/Thy-Mitchell-and-Matthew-Mitchell-and-Maya-and-Max-050526-1-62b73af9d99a4d25b6f11efaf64c75ba.jpg)
Thy Mitchell and Matthew Mitchell and their kids Maya and Max.Credit : Thy Mitchell/Instagram
A family of four who were found dead in their Houston, Texas home have been identified.
Matthew Mitchell and his wife Thy Mitchell, along with their two young children, were found with gunshot wounds in their River Oaks residence, ABC 13 reported Tuesday, May 5. They are believed to have died in a murder-suicide, with authorities stating evidence at the scene showed “the male shot the three victims and then shot himself.”
In a press release shared by the Houston Police Department, the couple and their children were not named, but police did confirm the male suspect was 52 years old. The woman was 39, the juvenile female was 8 and her male sibling was 4.
Police discovered the family deceased at approximately 5:25 p.m. local time on Monday, May 4, per the release.
Officers were responding to a welfare check at the residence because the family had not been heard from or seen since the previous night. Upon entering, they located four unresponsive individuals.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(499x0:501x2):format(webp)/Thy-Mitchell-and-Matthew-Mitchell-and-Maya-and-Max-050526-065fec3f40854cdbb7c7d68f6e151692.jpg)
PEOPLE reached out to the HPD for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
“We are heartbroken to share that my sister, Thy, and her beloved children, Maya and Max, passed away last night,” Thy’s sister, Ly Mai, wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
“Our family is grieving deeply and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult time. Funeral arrangements will be shared when they are available. Thank you for your understanding and support,” she concluded.
Mai shared several pictures of Thy with her two children. All the images showed them displaying big smiles as the trio spent time outdoors together.
Matthew and Thy were the owners of two Houston restaurants. In October 2019, they opened Traveler’s Table, a popular restaurant that put a modern spin on global dishes like Pad Thai and Jamaican Jerk Pork, and followed that up with Traveler’s Cart, a second restaurant in 2024.
Brittany Meisner, who worked as a publicist for Thy, shared a tribute to her “great friend” on social media.
“There are truly no words,” Meisner captioned an Instagram carousel. “Thy was not only a client, but a great friend. She was a devoted mother and business woman, and we are completely devastated and heartbroken a million times over again.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(460x0:462x2):format(webp)/Thy-Mitchell-and-Matthew-Mitchell-050526-69bde2a76b8641eca0d6ec924226135d.jpg)
Brittany said Thy was “always looking for the next adventure, and we had a blast doing it together.”
“She will be dearly missed by many, including our team, who’s had the privilege of telling her story the last few years,” she added.
PEOPLE confirmed that the Traveler’s Table remains open for business as of Tuesday evening.
Anyone with additional information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.
