A Houston mother fatally shot her 4-year-old daughter just hours after a judge awarded primary custody to the child’s father and restricted the mother to supervised visits only, police said. The mother later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Officers responded around 5:45 p.m. Tuesday to a townhome on Terra Reserve Place in west Houston after the child’s stepfather and a babysitter, who were downstairs, reported hearing gunshots from the third floor. They forced entry into the girl’s room, where the stepfather attempted CPR. Four-year-old Vivian Savella was pronounced dead at the scene. Her mother, identified in reports as 35-year-old Cibelle Savella, was found with a gunshot wound and taken to a hospital, where she later died.
Houston police said the shooting followed a custody hearing earlier that day that “didn’t go well for the mother.” Court records show Harris County Judge Audrie Lawton-Evans granted the father, Aaron Savella, temporary exclusive rights to determine the child’s primary residence, medical care, and education. The mother was limited to possession of Vivian only under continuous supervision through a court-appointed agency. The order did not specify the logistics of an immediate handoff, and no supervisor was present when the mother and child returned home.
In a statement released through attorneys, Vivian’s family said she was “loved without limit.” They added: “Aaron did everything the law asks of a parent who is trying to protect his child. 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.”
ABC13 reporter Sarah Al-Shaikh reported live from the scene outside the gated community as police lights flashed nearby. An officer confirmed both the child and her mother were found with gunshot wounds. Family photos shown in the broadcast depicted Vivian with her parents. Attorneys and sources close to the case noted the mother, originally from Brazil, and father had divorced in late 2024 after a short marriage, leading to the contested custody proceedings.
The case remains under investigation by Houston police. No charges were filed before the mother’s death.
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