🚨 “I signed the papers to bring my daughter and grandchildren home… but I still cannot understand how the man sitting at our family table was secretly becoming a stranger right in front of us.” That heartbreaking statement from Thy Mitchell’s father is now leaving thousands shaken as new details emerge about the final weeks before the horrifying tragedy inside the family’s River Oaks mansion. In an emotional message shared with loved ones, the grieving father revealed he had authorized the transfer of Thy, Maya, and Max to a Houston funeral home so the family could begin preparing a service to honor their lives. But behind the grief… he also revealed something deeply unsettling: He says he noticed disturbing changes in son-in-law Matthew Mitchell long before the nightmare unfolded — changes his daughter may never fully understood herself. According to relatives, Matthew had allegedly become emotionally distant, unusually quiet, and increasingly cold during family gatherings in the weeks leading up to the tragedy. Thy’s father reportedly remembers moments that now haunt him every night: Matthew staring silently through conversations. Random mood shifts nobody could explain. The uncomfortable tension in the room whenever Thy talked about the future, the children, or the new baby she was carrying. At the time, the family thought stress from business pressures might be affecting him. But now every memory feels terrifying. One relative claims Thy’s father even tried asking his daughter privately whether things at home were truly okay. But like many wives trying to protect their marriage, Thy reportedly brushed it off and defended her husband every single time. “She had no idea how dark his thoughts had become,” one source close to the family allegedly said. Now the same father who once watched little Maya and Max laugh during family dinners is preparing to bury all three of them beside each other. And people online cannot stop thinking about one devastating detail: A father sensed something was wrong… but not even he could imagine how close the danger already was. Tonight, the mansion that once symbolized success, love, and the American dream now stands at the center of one of Houston’s most haunting family tragedies. Full story in the comments 👇👇👇

What to know about Thy and Matthew Mitchell and their Houston restaurants, Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart

Owners Matthew and Thy Mitchell of Traveler’s Cart and Traveler’s Table.

Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer

Houston restaurateur Thy Mitchell, who co-owned the globally inspired restaurants Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart, died with her two children on Monday, Mitchell’s sister confirmed in a Tuesday Facebook post.

The night before, the Houston Police Department found two adults and two children dead in a suspected murder suicide at a River Oaks-area home owned by Mitchell and her husband and business partner, Matthew Mitchell. Authorities have not confirmed the identities of the four people who died. Thy Mitchell’s sister, Ly Mai, did not mention Matthew Mitchell or the circumstances of the deaths in her post.

“We are heartbroken to share that my sister, Thy, and her beloved children, Maya and Max, passed away last night,” Mai wrote on Facebook. “Our family is grieving deeply and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult time.”

The Mitchells’ restaurants did not immediately return a request for comment, and the investigation is ongoing. Here’s what we know.

What happened?

According to the Houston Police Department, a babysitter alerted the police Monday, concerned that they hadn’t heard from a family in the River Oaks area. Around 5:30 p.m., officers arrived in the 2100 block of Kingston Street. They reported finding two adults and two children, ages 4 and 8, dead inside a home in the Glendower Court neighborhood.

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Police said the four people are all family members, and that they believe it was a murder suicide. The homicide division is investigating, they said.

Harris Central Appraisal District records show that the Mitchells own the home. The Houston Fire Department confirmed the address.

Who was Thy Mitchell?

Thy Mitchell was born in Chicago but grew up in Houston.

A first generation Vietnamese-American, Thy helped at her family’s Vietnamese restaurant on the weekends. Later on, she worked in the restaurant industry while studying at the University of Houston, and then went on to become an HR manager in hospitality and retail.

In 2019, she made a return to restaurants when she launched Traveler’s Table with Matthew. In 2023, they started Foreign Fare, a travel-focused clothing line. And in 2024, they debuted their second restaurant, Traveler’s Cart.

Together, Thy and Matthew visited countries from Morocco to France, feeding their ideas for the restaurants.

“We didn’t always speak the language of places we traveled to,” Thy told the Houston Chronicle in 2024. “But we always had food in common.”

She and Matthew established themselves in Houston’s restaurant community, participating in annual events like Houston Restaurant Weeks. Thy served on the board of the Texas Restaurant Association’s Houston chapter. Last week, she hosted the quarterly Board of Directors meeting at Traveler’s Table.

According to posts on Thy’s Instagram page, the couple’s daughter, Maya, was born in 2018, and their son, Max, in 2021.

Who is Matthew Mitchell?

Matthew Mitchell initially focused on his career as a journalist  and then worked in the pharmaceutical industry.

He studied at Emory University and went on to live in France, Italy, England, Paris and New York. He worked as a writer as he traveled, developing some of the interest in foreign countries that would later inspire his restaurants. Upon his return to Houston, he went into pharmaceutics and became the CEO of the Texas Center for Drug Development.

More than 10 years later, he made an abrupt change in jobs. He enrolled in culinary school at the Art Institute of Houston and got a degree in culinary arts before launching Traveler’s Table, Traveler’s Cart and Foreign Fare with Thy.

What are Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart?

Located on 520 Westheimer Rd., Traveler’s Table aims to take diners on a tour around the world by way of a menu that stops in Australia, Japan, Korea, Nigeria and many more countries. Dishes include Thai duck pad see ew, Indian butter chicken, Nigerian suya skewers and mini New England lobster rolls.

Five years after Traveler’s Table debuted, the Mitchells expanded to fast-casual sister restaurant Traveler’s Cart at 1401 Montrose Blvd. This time, they focused on global street food, with signs and videos paying tribute to street markets around the world.

“This is street food made by humble, hardworking cooks from around the world, like Thy’s Vietnamese grandmother, who are keeping our food traditions alive,” declared a sign out front.

Both restaurants will be open for business Tuesday, said Brittany Meisner, a publicist who represents Traveler’s Table and Traveler’s Cart.

Jarrod Wardwell and Bao Ong contributed reporting.

This story has been updated.