A Texas mother shot and killed her 4-year-old daughter after losing a custody battle with the child’s father earlier this week.
Cibelle Savella was supposed to hand over her daughter, Vivian, to her ex-husband, Aaron Savella, Tuesday night, but instead, she killed her little girl before turning the gun on herself. Cibelle died from the injuries a day later.
“There was a custody hearing earlier today that didn’t go well for the mother,” Houston Police Lt. Larry Crowson said.
Houston police are investigating the incident as a murder-suicide. When officers arrived on the scene, they found the 4-year-old on the third floor of the house, suffering from a gunshot wound. Other people were also inside the home when Cibelle shot her child, KHOU 11 reported. The witnesses heard gunshots and then forced their way into Vivian’s bedroom. The girl was pronounced dead at the scene, per KHOU 11.
“Our family is devastated,” her family said in a statement released through attorneys Wednesday, adding, “She was loved without limit by her father, Aaron, and by everyone whose life she touched.”
The child slaying comes just weeks after Lindsay Clancy’s triple-murder trial gained nationwide attention before ending in a mistrial. Clancy strangled her three young children to death while her husband was out of the house, but she claimed that she was suffering postpartum psychosis.
Clancy also tried to take her own life after killing her kids by slitting her neck and wrists and jumping out of a window, but she survived. The case has resulted in a wave of support for Clancy, mostly from women.
The attorney representing Vivian’s father told KHOH 11 the family never thought the custody hearing would end in such a tragedy.
“I’ve been practicing family law for 28 years and have never experienced anything like this,” Charlotte Rainwater said. “The family is devastated by this outcome.”
The attorney added that nothing during the hearings indicated the mother would do the unthinkable to the 4-year-old.
“And I don’t think anyone in this courtroom on Tuesday contemplated this could be the outcome,” Rainwater said.
The father, Aaron, was cooperative with the court process and was working “patiently” through the custody process before he was granted primary custody of his daughter, per KHOU 11.
Originally from Brazil, Cibelle divorced Aaron in November 2024 after they were married for four years. A custody battle over their daughter then ensued, the New York Post reported.
During the Tuesday hearing, Cibelle was banned from speaking to her daughter in her native Portuguese unless a supervisor was present who could speak the language. The mother was also barred from any school performances and extracurricular activities, per the Post.
Cibelle was also ordered to pay child support and cover 50% of any out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Now, Aaron is left to grieve the inconceivable loss.
“We ask the public to remember that there are fathers everywhere who fight quietly, patiently, and within the law to protect their children,” the family said. “Their stories are rarely told, and they should be. We are grateful to everyone who has reached out with kindness. We ask for privacy as we grieve.”
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