The children were both 4 years old, Houston police said in an update.
HOUSTON, Texas — Houston police corrected a key detail Monday in the deaths of two children and their mother at a southwest Houston hotel, saying both children were 4 years old.
The update came three days after officers responded to a shooting call at the Residence Inn by Marriott at 7807 Kirby Drive. Police said the children, a boy and a girl, were found dead with gunshot wounds inside a room with their 40-year-old mother, who also was dead.
Investigators said hotel staff became concerned because someone had been in the room since Wednesday and had not been heard from. Staff members checked the room Friday before police were called shortly before noon. Officers found the three people unresponsive, and Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced them dead. Lt. Larry Crowson said evidence at the scene pointed to a murder-suicide.
Police initially said the children were 6 and 9 years old. In a later update, the department said both children were 4. Their identities, along with the woman’s identity, were pending verification by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences. Police have not released the family’s hometown, the reason they were at the hotel or whether any relatives had reported them missing.
The timing of the shooting remains unclear. Police said it did not appear the deaths occurred Friday, the day the bodies were found. The room was inside a hotel near Old Spanish Trail, NRG Stadium and the Texas Medical Center area, a part of Houston with heavy hotel use and steady traffic.
Detectives W. Elliott and D. Hobson of the HPD Homicide Division are investigating. Police said evidence showed the woman shot the children and then herself. No charges will be filed against the woman because she is dead, and police have not named any other person of interest.
The next step is formal identification and completion of forensic reviews. Police said the case remains open while detectives review evidence and any information provided after the public update.
Author note: Last updated July 9, 2026.