Houston restaurateur Thy Mitchell and her two children died Monday, Mitchell’s sister confirmed in a Tuesday morning social media post after authorities responded to a suspected murder-suicide at the family’s River Oaks-area home.
Mitchell and her husband and business partner, Matthew Mitchell, own the house where a family of four was found dead Monday evening, according to property records and information from the Houston Fire Department.
The post by Ly Mai, Thy Mitchell’s sister, did not mention Matthew Mitchell or the circumstances of the deaths. A call to Mai went unanswered Tuesday morning.
“We are heartbroken to share that my sister, Thy, and her beloved children, Maya and Max, passed away last night,” the post reads. “Our family is grieving deeply and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”
The four bodies – two adults and two children – were discovered during a welfare call to the home after a babysitter told police they had not heard from the family since Sunday night. Central Division patrol units were dispatched to a home in the 2100 block of Kingston Street in Houston around 5:30 p.m. Monday, a detective in the Houston Police Department’s Homicide Division said in a police briefing streamed by local media.
When officers entered the home, they discovered four people dead with gunshot wounds, according to Houston police. Evidence indicated that a 52-year-old man shot a 4-year-old boy, 8-year-old girl and 39-year-old woman and himself, police said in an update Tuesday. Officials have not confirmed the identities of the people who died.
Traveler’s Table and a spokesperson for the business did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Houston Fire Department Senior Capt. Raul Reyes said Monday night those involved were a family of four.
Houston police’s homicide division is investigating the deaths. There were no calls for service at the family’s address over the last six months, according to the Houston Police Department.
The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences – which serves as the county’s medical examiner – did not immediately return a request for the victim’s identities and the cause of their death.
This is a developing story.
John Wayne Ferguson contributed reporting.