Texas Mom Allegedly Shot 4-Year-Old Daughter, Then Herself After Losing Custody
A Texas custody fight ended in a devastating shooting this week, according to reports. Houston police responded to a shooting call at about 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at a home on the 300 block of Terra Reserve.
The home was valued at $824,000, and the shooting reportedly happened on its third floor. Witnesses inside said they heard gunshots coming from the room of a 4-year-old child. They forced their way into the room before police arrived.
Officers found the little girl dead from what appeared to be a gunshot wound. Her father, Aaron Savella, later identified her as Vivian Savella.
Police also found Vivian’s mother, 35-year-old Cibelle Savella, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was detained and taken to a local hospital. Police announced Thursday that Cibelle had died the previous day.
The shooting came only hours after Cibelle lost custody of her daughter. Houston Police Lieutenant Larry Crowson described the custody hearing this way:
“There was a custody hearing earlier today that didn’t go well for the mother,” Houston Police Lieutenant Larry Crowson said.
According to an account cited from the New York Post, Cibelle was originally from Brazil. She and Aaron divorced in November 2024 after four years of marriage, beginning a bitter legal fight over Vivian.
The latest custody ruling reportedly came about eight hours before the shooting. Under the order, Cibelle was barred from speaking with Vivian in Portuguese unless one of the supervisors present could speak the language. She was also prohibited from attending school performances and extracurricular activities.
The ruling further required Cibelle to pay child support to Aaron and cover half of any out-of-pocket medical expenses. The report said it was not immediately clear why Cibelle lost custody or why the court imposed such strict restrictions.
Family members said Vivian was supposed to return to her father’s home that night. Instead, Vivian was killed before she could return to him.
“Vivian was 4 years old. She was loved without limit by her father, Aaron, and by everyone whose life she touched,” they said in remarks obtained by the Post.
“There are no words for what has been taken from us.”
“Aaron did everything the law asks of a parent who is trying to protect his child,” they continued.
“He trusted the courts.”
“He followed every order. He waited for the process to work. On Tuesday, a judge placed Vivian in his primary care, and she was supposed to come home to him that evening. She never did.”
The case has left Vivian’s family grieving after a custody ruling that was supposed to determine where the child would live. Instead, the 4-year-old never made it home to her father, and both mother and daughter were dead within a day.