Houston Fashion Designer Is Among Victims of Suspected Murder-suicide
The Houston Police Department continues to investigate a suspected murder-suicide that involved a family of four, including fashion designer Thy Mitchell.
Mitchell, 39, was identified by her sister Ly Mai in a social media post. Mai could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday.
Houston police officials are looking into the fatal shooting of Mitchell, her 8-year-old daughter Maya, 4-year-old son Max and the apparent suicide of Mitchell’s 52-year-old husband Matthew in the River Oaks section of the city. HPD detectives reported that patrol officers responded to a welfare check at the family’s home on Monday, after the family had not been heard from since the previous night. Officers entered the residence and located four unresponsive individuals with gunshot wounds.
Evidence on the scene indicated that it was a murder-suicide in which the male shot the three victims and then himself, according to the HPD.
A first-generation Vietnamese American, Mitchell grew up in Houston, where she started working at her grandmother’s and mother’s small Vietnamese restaurant. While studying at the University of Houston, she continued working in the restaurant sector. Starting her career as a human resources and operations manager, she earned a master’s degree in human relations and employee relations at Penn State University. Her husband had worked in London, Paris and New York before returning to Houston. In 2019, they started the globally inspired eatery Traveler’s Table. Five years later, they debuted their global street food concept Traveler’s Cart.
She and her husband launched clothing label Foreign Fare in 2023. The couple unveiled the collection with a fashion show in their Houston eatery. For an experiential spin, attendees could try on styles from the line in a pop-up dressing room. Guests were also served Nigerian Suya skewers, Japanese Kaki fried oysters and signature cocktails, including ones called the “Happy Wife Happy Life” and the “Foreign Correspondent,” according to an interview the couple did with Papercity in 2023.
Mitchell spoke of how travel was the foundation of their relationship and how their trips were to research food in different regions of the world for their restaurants. She told Papercity, “It’s what shaped both of our lives and careers.”
The wrinkle-free, water-repellant designs in Foreign Fare hinted at their travels with items named Jetsetter Jacket, Flight Jumpsuit, Wrap Me Up Dress, Hideaway Hoodie, Tour Tee and Just Go Polo. But Mitchell’s fashion designs were secondary to the couple’s restaurants, which were featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” “Beat Bobby Flay” and “Guy’s Grocery Games.”
Last year, the Mitchells were honored as Restaurateurs of the Year by the Texas Restaurant Association’s Houston chapter, of which Mitchell was a board member. The association’s president and chief executive officer Emily Williams Knight said Wednesday, “We stand with the greater Houston hospitality community as we try to process the horrific deaths of Thy Mitchell and her family. To say that Thy will be missed is an understatement. We will remember Thy as a ray of light who inspired everyone around her.”
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the HPD’s homicides division at 713-308-3600.
Aside from her sister Mai, Mitchell’s survivors were not immediately known.
If you or anyone you know is contemplating suicide, a list of suicide hotlines around the globe can be found at suicidestop.com. In addition, dialing, texting or chatting 988 in the U.S. will route people to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The Lifeline’s phone number 800-273-8255 is also available to people experiencing emotional distress or suicidal crisis.
