Houston restaurant owners, 2 children found dead in apparent murder-suicide

A Houston couple who owned a local restaurant and their two young children were found dead Monday inside their River Oaks home in what police believe was a murder-suicide, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

The deaths drew renewed attention to domestic violence resources available to families in crisis. ABC7 Los Angeles, which serves Orange County and wider Southern California, shared mental health and domestic violence support information alongside its coverage.

Officers were dispatched to the 2100 block of Kingston Street at 5:26 p.m. Monday after a babysitter and a family member reported losing contact with the Mitchells, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Upon arrival, police found all four family members dead inside the River Oaks residence.

The Houston Police Department identified Matthew Mitchell, 52, as the suspect. His wife, Thy Mitchell, and the couple's two children — ages 8 and 4 — were also found dead. The names of the children were not released, ABC7 Los Angeles reported.

The Mitchells owned Traveler's Table, a Houston restaurant. No motive was publicly disclosed by investigators.

Houston police characterized the deaths as an apparent murder-suicide. The department did not identify additional suspects in connection with the case.

ABC7 Los Angeles included domestic violence and mental health crisis resources in its report. No Orange County connection to the case has been identified.