A Houston family was found dead inside their home after two young children failed to show up for school, leading police to what they are calling a heartbreaking murder-suicide.
The Houston Police Department said a 52-year-old man fatally shot his wife, their 8-year-old daughter, and their 4-year-old son on May 4 before turning the gun on himself.
The man was identified by ABC 13 as Matthew Mitchell.
The victims were identified by family members as Mitchell’s wife, Thy Mai, and their two children, Maya and Max.
According to Mai’s father, Thuy Mai, the horrifying discovery began when the children’s babysitter went to pick them up from school and learned they had never arrived.
“The family can also confirm that the welfare check was initiated after the children’s babysitter went to the school to pick up Max and Maya and discovered the children had never arrived,” he wrote on Facebook.
After repeated calls to the family went unanswered, Thy’s sister contacted 911 and requested a welfare check at the home.
Thuy Mai said no family member or other person entered the home before law enforcement arrived.
The tragedy has shaken Houston’s restaurant community.
Mitchell and Mai were known in the city as the owners of Traveler’s Table, which opened in 2019, and Traveler’s Cart, which opened in 2024.
Despite the devastating loss, Thuy Mai said the restaurants will remain open.
Mai’s sister, Ly Mai, remembered Thy as a devoted mother whose children meant everything to her.
“My sister, Thy, was the most loving, devoted mother, and her children were truly the center of her world,” she wrote on Facebook.
She also described Maya and Max as children who were “beautiful inside and out” and “kind, joyful, and adored by everyone who knew them.”
The case has left friends, relatives, and customers grieving a family that was deeply connected to the local community.