The Traveler’s Table co-owner, her two children and her husband were found dead in their River Oaks home earlier this month in what authorities have described as a murder-suicide.

A new foundation as well as a scholarship are being created in honor of Thy Mitchell and her two children, Maya and Max, according to the first statement issued by their family since their deaths earlier this month.

Thy, her two children and her husband, Matthew Mitchell, were found dead in their River Oaks home on May 4 in what authorities have described as a murder-suicide. According to the Houston Police Department, the deceased man found at the scene, who was later identified as Matthew Mitchell by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, “shot the three victims and then shot himself.”

Thy and Matthew were co-owners of Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart, two popular restaurants located in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood.
Sign up for the Hello, Houston! daily newsletter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox.
In a statement posted to social media on Tuesday, the family said both restaurants will remain open under normal operations. The family’s clothing store, Foreign Fare, will be closed temporarily as “the family focuses on funeral arrangements.”

 

Additionally, the family announced they are creating the Thy Mai Foundation in honor of Thy and her children, 8-year-old Maya and 4-year-old Max. In the statement, Thy’s family used her maiden name, Mai.

According to the foundation’s website, it is “dedicated to funding programs, advancing legislation, and strengthening community resources that protect women and children from gun violence.”

The Texas Restaurant Foundation and its Houston chapter also recently announced the creation of the Thy Mai, Maya & Max Memorial Hospitality Scholarship. It will provide financial assistance to Texas students pursuing culinary arts, restaurant and hospitality management, food service operations or hospitality leadership and entrepreneurship, according to the restaurant association.

“Thy defined what it means to truly care for people — she led with generosity, lifted others up and made everyone feel seen and valued,” Emily Williams Knight, president and CEO of the Texas Restaurant Association, said in a statement announcing the scholarship. “This scholarship is a way to carry that spirit forward, opening doors for future leaders who will shape the hospitality industry with the same heart and purpose she brought to it every day.”

RELATED: Houston restaurant community pays tribute to Thy Mitchell of Traveler’s Table

The family’s statement also dispelled reports that circulated online in the days that followed their deaths, which suggested that Thy may have been pregnant. Thy’s family said Tuesday there are no indications she was pregnant at the time of her death.

“The family would like to clarify that reports stating Thy Mai was pregnant are false,” the family said in a statement posted online by Thuy Mai. “No law enforcement official has made such a statement, and no such information appears in the autopsy report.”

The statement also addressed how Thy and her children were found by police. The family said the “children’s babysitter went to the school to pick up Max and Maya and discovered the children had never arrived.”

“After repeated calls went unanswered, 911 was contacted to request a welfare check by Thy’s sister at the residence,” the family added. “No family member or individual entered the home prior to law enforcement responding.”

A tribute to Thy, Maya and Max will be hosted by the family on Sunday, May 24, at the Wortham Theater, according to another recent post by Thuy Mai. A tribute show will take place from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m., followed by a reception from 12:30-2:30 p.m, according to the Thy Mai Foundation.