THE murder-suicide of a prominent restaurateur couple has rocked their tight-knit community as new details have emerged about the husband who police said gunned down his family.

Investigators said Matthew Mitchell fatally shot his wife and business partner, Thy Mitchell, and their two children, aged 8 and 4, inside their lavish River Oaks home in Houston on Monday before turning the gun on himself.

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The Mitchell family were found dead in their home on Monday after police said dad Matthew Mitchell gunned down his loved onesCredit: Instagram/thy_travelers
 

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Matthew and Thy Mitchell were successful co-owners of the Houston restaurant Traveler’s CartCredit: Instagram/thy_travelers
 

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The Mitchells’ restaurant was featured on Guy Fieri’s show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food NetworkCredit: Instagram/travelerstablerestaurant
 

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The couple was named the 2025 Restaurateurs of the Year by the Houston Chapter of the Texas Restaurant AssociationCredit: Instagram/thy_travelers
The Mitchells were well-known figures in the Houston hospitality industry, owning and operating a successful restaurant, Traveler’s Cart, offering a global cuisine inspired by the family’s travels.

The couple was named the 2025 Restaurateurs of the Year by the Houston Chapter of the Texas Restaurant Association.

Their eatery was featured on the Food Network with TV host Guy Fieri in 2021, and one of their chefs appeared on the Beat Bobby Flay show.

In the episode of Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, the renowned restaurateur described Traveler’s Cart as a place where diners could choose from an extensive menu.

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“I don’t know about your family, but at the Fieri house when we’re going out to dinner there is a long standing debate of what we’re going to have,” Fieri said in the episode.

“Somebody wants Italian, somebody wants Mexican, somebody Asian, usually me, wouldn’t it be great if there was a restaurant where you can get all those things, but done in a legit way,” he added before walking into the Mitchells’ eatery.

At one point, the restaurant’s chef presents Fieri with a plate filled with braised oxtail, and when the TV presenter takes a spoonful of the dish, he declared it to be “in the running for the best.”

“I don’t ever say something is the best, but I will tell you what, this would be in the running,” Fieri said.

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The deaths of the seemingly unblemished family left a former employee in shock and never imagined Matthew Mitchell, 52, was capable of such violence.

“Most crazy thing I ever heard of happening to people I know,” a former employee at Traveler’s Cart, who asked not to be named, told The U.S. Sun in response to the news about the family’s death.

“I would have never guessed in a million years this would happen to their family.”

The former employee, who worked at the Mitchells’ restaurant from 2022 to 2025, remembered Thy for her “infectious laughter.”

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The couple’s two children, an 8-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, were found dead in their beds, police saidCredit: Instagram/thy_travelers
 

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An investigation into the family’s death remains ongoingCredit: Instagram/thy_travelers
“Thy was an amazing woman. She was so friendly and well-loved by all her employees. A good kind-hearted woman who was doing amazing things in the community.”

Thy, 39, was also a creative fashion designer, launching her own clothing brand in 2023.

However, the ex-employee said there was a clear difference in demeanor between Thy and her husband, whom she described as reserved.

“They were prolific in the hospitality industry. They always seemed like the perfect couple. Matt was not as friendly as Thy,” she added.

“He was always a little awkward and didn’t like too much spotlight.”

The former employee said she never witnessed any violent tendencies from Mitchell, but eerily said he would get “easily agitated.”

She declined to get into specifics when speaking with The U.S. Sun.

Houston police were called to the family’s affluent River Oaks home on Monday after the couple’s babysitter arrived at the home at 5:30 pm and uncovered the gruesome scene.

Officials said that preliminary evidence showed that Mitchell killed his wife Thy, who was pregnant at the time, and their two children before shooting himself.

The couple’s 8-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son were found in their beds.

Thy’s sister confirmed her sibling’s death in a gut-wrenching social media post, saying the family was “heartbroken and grieving deeply.”

An investigation into the incident remains ongoing.