Traveler’s Table restaurant in Montrose.
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A tragic murder-suicide devastated the Houston community this week, resulting in the death of a restaurateur couple and their two children in River Oaks.
Matthew and Thy Mitchell—co-owners of the Montrose restaurant Traveler’s Table—and their children were among those killed, according to authorities and statements shared by family and the business, which expressed profound grief over the loss.
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As loved ones and the broader Houston community mourn an unimaginable loss, the tragedy also reflects a wider pattern of murder-suicides reported across Texas this year.
So far in 2026, 18 murder-suicides have been recorded in Texas, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA)—an independent data collection and research group focused on documenting gun violence incidents across the U.S.
The organization defines a murder-suicide as an incident in which one person kills at least one other person before dying by suicide. The organization compiles data from more than 7,500 law enforcement, media, government and commercial sources daily.
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What does the data show about murder-suicides in Texas?
“We’ve had 183 murder-suicides this year and (18) of them have been in Texas,” Mark Bryant, executive director of the GVA, told Chron on Wednesday, noting that the number equates to about 10 percent of the nation’s total.
The frequency of murder-suicides has remained relatively consistent in Texas over the past few years. The GVA recorded 70 incidents in 2025, 78 in 2024 and 81 in 2023. This relative stability is similarly consistent nationwide.
So far in 2026, 18 murder-suicides have been recorded in Texas. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Scott Olson/Getty Images
“The unique thing about murder-suicides is that while regular gun crime, gun fatalities and gun injuries have dropped in the last two years…murder-suicides have stayed stable,” Bryant said. “They’re staying in the 600 to 700 (per) year range.”
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Bryant said three states continue to consistently represent a comparatively large portion of those incidents: Texas, Florida and California.
“At one point, Texas was having more (of those incidents), but it appears to have, in some respects, not reduced, but flattened out,” Bryant said.
Since the GVA began documenting murder-suicides, they’ve reported slightly over 900 in Texas. Some of those incidents date all the way back to the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.
RELATED LINK: Tragedy shadows Traveler’s Table in wake of owners’ deaths in River Oaks
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Thy and Matthew Mitchell’s home on Kingston Street in River Oaks. The home is the subject of a murder-suicide investigation that killed four.
Gwen Howerton / Chron
Factors contributing to murder-suicide rates
While a larger population generally contributes to larger rates of murder-suicide incidents, it certainly isn’t the only contributing factor.
Texas has a population of about 32 million people, while New York has a population of roughly 20 million.
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“If we look at murder-suicides, New York has five. Using the same math, the same rate (as Texas), New York should have 11,” Bryant said, adding that states that have more regulation on firearms, like safe storage laws, tend to have lower gun violence rates.
The GVA executive director pointed to one glaring factor that increases risk when it comes to murder-suicide incidents, and gun violence in general: proximity to firearms.
“It comes back to stress and proximity to a weapon,” Bryant said, adding that guns in particular present an inability to ‘walk a situation back.’ “Guns certainly play a big role in making it final.”
Bryant said the first step towards reducing gun violence rates is keeping weapons secured.
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“Adding a step to (reduce) proximity will help,” Bryant said. “Adding two steps will help even more.”
While the true numbers are hard to calculate, Texas ranks among the top for states with the highest number of firearms. The Lone Star State also does not have laws mandating firearm registration and there is no Texas gun registry.
“It’s hard to really count how many guns are in any state, but if you look at how many are sold in a state, Texas sure is an overachiever,” Bryant said.
Many murder-suicide incidents also appear to have a domestic violence nexus, Bryant said.
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“Most of the time it is a domestic violence incident, like (the incident that happened) on Kingston Street, at least, that seems to be the general assumption so far,” Bryant said.
The Houston Police Department has yet to publicly identify a motive behind the Kingston Street incident. ABC 13 reported there were no prior records of domestic violence calls to the Mitchell family residence.
‘It takes a village’
Bryant, a Kentucky native, drew a comparison between the Bluegrass and the Lone Star states.
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“Texans and Kentuckians are way too alike in that we’re stubborn and we’re proud and that we think we can handle everything, and in a lot of respects we do,” Bryant said. “But, there are other respects where we do not.”
Bryant said it is important to seek help as early as possible when mental health concerns arise, because delaying intervention can present a serious problem.
“There was an old phrase that was out in the 90s that says it takes a village, and that’s not just for raising kids,” Bryant said. “If you see your buddies needing help, foist yourself on them a little bit. They will be ticked off at first and then they will most likely be appreciative.”
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