US mother fatally shoots daughter, 4, & then herself after losing custody battle

Warning: This article contains descriptions of self-harm and violence against a minor. Reader discretion is advised.

A Texas woman has shot her daughter, and then herself, after losing custody of her daughter and hours before she was supposed to turn the child over to the father.

Divorce proceedings

35-year-old Cibelle Savella had divorced her husband, Aaron Savella, in 2024.

On Sep. 29, Cibelle and Aaron had attended a child custody hearing involving their four-year-old daughter Vivian, in which Cibelle reportedly lost custody of the child, according to the New York Post.

Vivian was placed in Aaron’s primary care, and was due to be turned over that evening.

But that reunion never came.

Critical condition

Instead, Vivian was allegedly shot and killed by her mother, before Cibelle appears to have shot herself.

Image via Facebook

The Post reports that Cibelle had lost primary care rights to her daughter, and was also subject to other restrictions.

Cibelle, who is originally from Brazil, was reportedly banned from speaking to Vivian in her native Portuguese, unless a supervisor who could speak the language was present.

She was also banned from attending school performances and extracurricular activities, pay child support to Aaron, as well as 50 per cent of any out-of-pocket medical expenses.

However, the Post noted that there was no immediate explanation as to why Cibelle had lost custody, nor why the restrictions were put into place.

Family devastated

Click2Houston published a statement released by Aaron’s family, saying that the family was “devastated.”

Vivian, it said, was “loved without limit by her father, Aaron, and by everyone whose life she touched.”

“There are no words for what has been taken from us.”

Of Aaron, the statement said that he had done “everything the law asks of a parent who is trying to protect his child.”

The statement said that Aaron had trusted the courts, followed every order, and waited for “the process to work,” finally receiving the court order that would allow Vivian to “come home to him that evening."

“She never did.”

The statement went on to ask the public to remember fathers who fought “quietly, patiently, and within the law to protect their children,” whose stories were “rarely told.”

HELPLINES

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2000 (24 hours)

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001-01-4616 | Whatsapp: 65714400 (for targets of online harms)