Police said evidence indicated the 40-year-old woman killed the two 4-year-olds before dying by suicide.
HOUSTON — A woman and two 4-year-old children were found fatally shot inside a southwest Houston hotel room July 3 in what police are investigating as a murder-suicide.
Houston police said the victims were a 40-year-old woman, a juvenile girl and a juvenile boy. Their names had not been released as authorities awaited verification from the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Police described the woman as the suspected shooter based on evidence found inside the room.
Officers were sent to a hotel at 7807 Kirby Drive at about 11:45 a.m. after receiving a report of a shooting. They found all three occupants unresponsive and suffering from gunshot wounds, according to a Houston Police Department statement released July 6. Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced them dead at the scene.
Police said evidence indicated the woman fatally shot the children and then herself. Authorities have not announced evidence suggesting that another person was involved, though the Police Department’s homicide division continued to investigate the deaths.
The address is occupied by a Residence Inn by Marriott near NRG Stadium and the Texas Medical Center. Hotel workers entered the room after the occupants had not been heard from and discovered the three bodies, Houston Police Lt. Larry Crowson said during a briefing.
Local reports initially identified the children as a 9-year-old boy and a 6-year-old girl. The Police Department later corrected that information and said both children were 4 years old. Officials did not explain how the incorrect ages were first reported.
Investigators have not said when the shootings occurred. Crowson said preliminary information suggested the family members may have died before they were discovered Friday morning. Police also have not publicly said why the family was staying at the hotel or how long they planned to remain there.
Crowson said the circumstances appeared to involve mental health concerns, but authorities did not release evidence establishing a motive. Police also had not disclosed whether investigators recovered a note or other information that could explain what led to the deaths.
Houston police assigned homicide Detectives W. Elliott and D. Hobson to the investigation. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences was expected to verify the victims’ identities and determine their official causes and manners of death.
No identities or further findings had been publicly announced as of July 11. The investigation remained open while detectives worked to establish a timeline and awaited the medical examiner’s conclusions.
Author note: Last updated July 11, 2026.