“Two sisters married two men with the same name… and both stories ended in tragedy.” People close to the Mai family say it now feels less like coincidence… and more like a nightmare that kept repeating itself until there was almost nobody left standing. Before the headlines, before the River Oaks mansion became a crime scene, Ly Mai and her younger sister Thy Mitchell were known as the inseparable daughters of a hardworking Vietnamese immigrant family trying to build a life in America. They grew up sharing everything. The same tiny bedroom. The same dreams. The same promise that no matter where life took them, they would never abandon each other. Family friends still remember the sisters laughing about one strange coincidence that followed them into adulthood: Both women fell in love with men named Matthew.

Texas Father Killed His Wife, 2 Kids Before Dying by Suicide: ‘Truly No Words’

The victim’s sister, Ly Mai, confirmed that Thy Mitchell and her two children died in a Facebook post on Tuesday, May 5

Thy Mitchell and Matthew Mitchell and their kids Maya and Max
Credit: Thy Mitchell/Instagram

NEED TO KNOW

A family of four has been identified after being found with gunshot wounds in what police are calling a murder-suicide

The suspect was identified by police as a “52-year-old male,” with reports naming him as local restaurant owner Matthew Mitchell

Police discovered the family dead in their Houston home during a welfare check on Monday, May 4

A family of four who were found dead in their Houston, Texas home have been identified.

Matthew Mitchell and his wife Thy Mitchell, along with their two young children, were found with gunshot wounds in their River Oaks residence, ABC 13 reported Tuesday, May 5. They are believed to have died in a murder-suicide, with authorities stating evidence at the scene showed “the male shot the three victims and then shot himself.”

In a press release shared by the Houston Police Department, the couple and their children were not named, but police did confirm the male suspect was 52 years old. The woman was 39, the juvenile female was 8 and her male sibling was 4.

Police discovered the family deceased at approximately 5:25 p.m. local time on Monday, May 4, per the release.

Officers were responding to a welfare check at the residence because the family had not been heard from or seen since the previous night. Upon entering, they located four unresponsive individuals.

Thy Mitchell and Matthew Mitchell and their kids Maya and Max
Credit: Thy Mitchell/Instagram

PEOPLE reached out to the HPD for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

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

“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.

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.

Matthew and Thy were the owners of two Houston restaurants. In October 2019, they opened Traveler’s Table, a popular restaurant that put a modern spin on global dishes like Pad Thai and Jamaican Jerk Pork, and followed that up with Traveler’s Cart, a second restaurant in 2024.

Brittany Meisner, who worked as a publicist for Thy, shared a tribute to her “great friend” on social media.

“There are truly no words,” Meisner captioned an Instagram carousel. “Thy was not only a client, but a great friend. She was a devoted mother and business woman, and we are completely devastated and heartbroken a million times over again.”

Matthew and Thy Mitchell
Credit: Thy Mitchell/Instagram

Brittany said Thy was “always looking for the next adventure, and we had a blast doing it together.”

“She will be dearly missed by many, including our team, who’s had the privilege of telling her story the last few years,” she added.

PEOPLE confirmed that the Traveler’s Table remains open for business as of Tuesday evening.

Anyone with additional information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Homicide Division at 713-308-3600.