A prominent Texas restaurateur and her kids were killed in a murder-suicide, but chilling foreshadowing in a post from just days earlier has surfaced

A Houston family has been found dead inside their River Oaks home following a welfare check conducted by police on Monday, May 4. Authorities discovered the bodies of 39-year-old Thy Mitchell, her husband 52-year-old Matthew Mitchell, and their two children, 8-year-old Maya and 4-year-old Max, all suffering from gunshot wounds.

According to New York Post, the Houston Police Department stated that evidence at the scene indicates a murder-suicide in which Matthew Mitchell shot his wife and children before taking his own life. The discovery occurred at approximately 5:25 PM after a family babysitter and a relative requested a welfare check because they had not heard from or seen the family since the previous night.

The tragedy has left the Houston community in shock, as the couple were prominent figures in the local restaurant scene. They were the owners of two successful establishments, Travelers Table and Travelers Cart, and had even been featured on the show Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives in August 2021.

Hearing the children were found in their beds is just gut-wrenching

A haunting video posted to Instagram on April 24 has since gained attention for its unsettling nature. In the clip, Thy and Matthew are shown with their arms around each other. Text at the top of the screen reads, “He thinks we will grow old together…” and then shifts to say, “He will, but I’m Asian,” as the camera zooms in on Thy. While the post was intended as a lighthearted joke regarding life expectancy, the timing of the events has led many to view the content as chillingly prophetic.

Followers have left comments on the post, with one writing, “The foreshadowing is chilling,” while another added, “This feels so sinister now.” The couple had been open about the pressures of their professional lives in recent interviews. During an appearance on the podcast What’s Eric Eating in October 2024, they discussed the difficulties of balancing their home life with the demands of managing a restaurant family.

These stressors can often lead to devastating outcomes, similar to the tragedy where a former Virginia Lt. Gov. killed his wife before turning the gun on himself. Thy also spoke about the stress of running two businesses and the constant risk of failure in a December 2024 interview with Morning Honey. Matthew, a former journalist who had lived in cities like London, Paris, and New York, had transitioned into the restaurant industry after leaving a career in the pharmaceutical sector.

Thy, the child of Vietnamese immigrants, had deep roots in the hospitality industry, having grown up working in her mother’s and grandmother’s restaurant. The loss has been felt deeply by those who knew the family. Thy’s sister, Ly Mai, shared a statement on Facebook on Tuesday, May 5, confirming the deaths of her sister and the two children. “We are heartbroken to share that my sister, Thy, and her beloved children, Maya and Max, passed away last night,” she wrote.

She added that the family is grieving and requested privacy. Brittany Meisner, who worked as a publicist for Thy, also expressed her devastation, describing her as a devoted mother and business woman who was always looking for the next adventure. The circumstances leading to the tragedy remain under investigation, as police have not yet provided a motive for the incident. The family was last seen by friends and family on the night of May 3.

Only one day before the incident, Thy had shared a video on social media showing herself and her daughter, Maya, getting measured for dresses for an upcoming wedding.