Who are Matthew Mitchell and Thy Mitchell? High-profile restaurateur couple found dead with children in Houston home

A chilling case of apparent murder-suicide of Matthew Mitchell and his wife, Thy Mitchell, the owners of popular Houston dining spots 'Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart,' along with their two young children has sent shockwaves across Houston city.

The bodies of Matthew Mitchell and his wife Thy Mitchell, and their two children, ages 4 and 8, were discovered by Houston police during a welfare check on Monday evening (May 4, 2026) at their home in the River Oaks area. They are believed to have died in a murder-suicide.

“Houston police are investigating the fatal shooting of a woman, a juvenile female and a juvenile male and the apparent suicide of a man found at 2113 Kingston Street about 5:25 p.m. on May 4,” Houston Police Department said in a press release.


In the press release, the restaurant owners and their children were not named, but police did say the male suspect was 52 years old. The woman was 39, the juvenile female was 8 and her male sibling was 4. The Houston Police Department is calling Matthew, age 52, the suspect in the case.

“HPD patrol officers were told a family had not been heard from or seen since the previous night. Officers entered the residence and located four unresponsive individuals with gunshot wounds” the release stated. “Evidence on scene indicated the incident was a murder-suicide in which the male shot the three victims and then shot himself,” it further stated.

Thy’s sister, Ly Mai mourns loss

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Thy’s sister, Ly Mai, wrote, “We are heartbroken to share that my sister, Thy, and her beloved children, Maya and Max, passed away last night." 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.

“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.

What do we know about Matthew Mitchell and Thy Mitchell

Matthew and Thy owned two restaurants in Houston. In October 2019, they opened Traveler’s Table, a popular restaurant offering a modern take on global dishes such as Pad Thai and Jamaican jerk pork, and later expanded with a second concept, Traveler’s Cart, in 2024.

Matthew Mitchell and Thy Mitchell education and career

Matthew Mitchell received a bachelor’s degree from Emory University, and studying in France, Italy, and at Oxford University in England, he worked as a journalist in London, Paris and New York City. Matthew returned to Texas, attended Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones School of Management, and entered the pharmaceutical industry, eventually becoming the President & CEO of the Texas Center for Drug Development, Inc., a clinical research company, according to Traveler’s Table website.


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Fourteen years later, Matthew decided to explore his passion for distant cultures and exotic flavors by opening his first restaurant – Traveler’s Table. Matthew attended and received an A.A.S. in Culinary Arts from The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Houston, before working in a number of well-known restaurants in Houston.

Matthew’s wife and co-owner of Traveler’s Table Thy Mitchell grew up in Houston as a first generation Vietnamese-American in a family that centered around food. Growing up she would work on the weekends at her grandmother and mother’s small, traditional Vietnamese restaurant.

Throughout her time at University of Houston, she continued to work in the restaurant industry. Upon graduation, Thy began her career as a human resources and operations manager, and she has worked as an HR manager for three Fortune 500 companies in the hospitality and retail industries. She was enrolled in the Master of Business Administration program at Rice University.