A wealthy Texas restaurateur fatally shot his wife and their two young children before taking his own life inside their Houston home, authorities confirmed. Matthew Mitchell, 52, and his wife Thy Mitchell, 39, along with their 8-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, were found dead from gunshot wounds on Monday evening, May 4, according to the Houston Police Department and local reports.
Police discovered the bodies after responding to a welfare check at 5:30 p.m. A family babysitter and a relative had reported not hearing from the family since the previous night. Evidence at the scene indicated a murder-suicide, with the male shooting the three victims before shooting himself.
Matthew and Thy Mitchell were well-known in the Houston community as the owners of Travelers Table, a restaurant offering globally inspired cuisine based on their family travels, as reported by Chron. They later opened Traveler's Cart, a venue serving global street food. Their restaurants were featured on Food Network programs, including "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" with Guy Fieri, and one of their chefs appeared on "Beat Bobby Flay," defeating the celebrity chef.
Matthew held a bachelor's degree from Emory University and worked as a writer and journalist in London, Paris, and New York City before returning to Texas. He attended Rice University and served as a CEO in the pharmaceutical industry before transitioning to the restaurant business over a decade later, according to his biography. Thy grew up working at her grandmother's and mother's Vietnamese restaurant and continued in the industry through college. She later held HR leadership roles at three Fortune 500 companies in hospitality and retail.
Thy's sister, Ly Mai, confirmed the deaths in a Facebook post, stating, "We are heartbroken to share that my sister, Thy, and her beloved children, Maya and Max, passed away last night." She requested privacy during the grieving process and said funeral arrangements would be shared later. The investigation remains ongoing, and police are urging anyone with additional information to contact the HPD Homicide Division.
