A well-known restaurateur has shot dead his wife and their two young children in a suspected murder-suicide that has sent shockwaves through the community.

Matthew Mitchell, 52, Thy Mitchell, 39, and their daughter and son, eight and four respectively, were found dead in their Houston home on Monday evening. Investigators have been left scrambling to understand why Mitchell could have wiped out his own family.

The couple ran the popular restaurants, Travelers Table and Traveler’s Cart, which featured on Food Network programs such as “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” with host Guy Fieri. After the family babysitter and a relative reported they hadn’t heard from the family since the previous night, police attended their $1.2m home River Oaks home for a welfare check. It was the cops who made the grim discovery.

“Evidence on scene indicated the incident was a murder-suicide in which the male shot the three victims and then shot himself,” the Houston Police Department said in a statement.

Although police are yet to officially identify the victims, Thy Mitchell’s sister, Ly Mai, confirmed on social media that Thy and her two children died on Monday.

A handwritten note left as a memorial with flowers and two teddy bears read: “Our thoughts and prayers are with you. R.I.P.”

Maya, 8, and Max, 4, were found dead alongside their parents

Maya, 8, and Max, 4, were found dead alongside their parents -Credit:Facebook

Preliminary evidence showed Matthew Mitchell shot his family before turning the gun on himself.

“We are heartbroken to share that my sister, Thy, and her beloved children, Maya and Max, passed away last night,” Mai wrote.

“Our family is grieving deeply and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult time. Funeral arrangements will be shared when they are available.”

Just days before Thy’s death, she shared a post of her daughter, with the two of them around the time of her sister’s wedding later this year.

The couple’s restaurants had featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” with host Guy Fieri.

The couple’s restaurants had featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” with host Guy Fieri. -Credit:Facebook

An investigation was launched and remains ongoing. Police are urging anyone with additional information about the case to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600.

Neighbors in the River Oaks area were left stunned. One neighbor, Cindy, told Click2 she had “never seen anything like this,” in the 19 years she had lived there.

“We haven’t had these kinds of tragedies. We don’t have robberies,” she said.

The couple were known across Houston as the owners of Travelers Table, a restaurant serving “globally curated cuisine,” local outlet Chron reported.

They later opened another restaurant called Traveler’s Cart. Both restaurants have featured on TV, including the show “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” with host Guy Fieri.

Matthew worked as a writer and journalist in London, Paris, and New York City, before returning to Texas. Then he worked as a CEO in the pharmaceutical industry before moving into the restaurant business.

Thy grew up working at her family’s Vietnamese restaurant and worked in the restaurant industry throughout college.

“Her love of travel and food is what brought her and her husband, Matthew, together,” The Traveler’s Table website reads.