Dolcefino Media has learned that the Houston Police Department is conducting a criminal investigation into the father of the little 4-year-old girl shot by her mom. The tragic death has left the community shattered.

According to authorities, Vivian was fatally shot by her mother, Cibelle Savella, who then took her own life, just hours after an unelected Harris County family court judge ordered that Vivian be taken from her mother and given to her father.

The custody dispute had been ongoing for nearly four years and intensified in August 2026 after allegations of sexual abuse by father Aaron Savella surfaced during therapy sessions involving Vivian. The allegations were reported to authorities and became part of court proceedings.

“I loved my daughter, fought to protect her and my right to be her father. Some parents will go to great lengths, even filing false abuse claims, to keep loving fathers away from their children. In this case, CPS investigated all false claims against me and found no reason to believe I abused or neglected my daughter. My four-year old daughter was murdered by her mother. The only one who abused Vivian was her mother,” Aaron Savella said in a statement to Dolcefino Media.

Campaign finance records show that on August 25, 2026, the same day attorney Charlotte Rainwater entered the case as the attorney for Aaron Savella, Rainwater and Associates contributed $2,500 to the campaign of Judge Teresa Waldrop. The contribution was Judge Waldrop’s largest donation this year.

Rainwater declined an interview.

The case has drawn public attention not only because of Vivian’s death, but also because of questions surrounding how the family court system handled the allegations, the custody battle, and the decisions made in the final weeks of Vivian’s life.

Dolcefino Media is run by award-winning investigative journalist Wayne Dolcefino and investigates fraud, corruption, and injustice in family courts across Texas. For more information, contact Wayne Dolcefino at 713-389-0810.