Earlier this week, I wrote an article about whether moms were killing their children more often lately, or if we’re just seeing more of it in the news because the media is fixated on it due to the Lindsay Clancy case. Or, perhaps, it’s just a big coincidence.
My research was inconclusive, as there isn’t a ton of recent information on this topic. Historic data shows there hasn’t been an increase and that men are just as likely, or more likely in some cases, to commit filicide. But most of that information was pre-COVID-19 pandemic. I’d love to see a study on whether more moms (or parents in general) are killing their children in the years since because the pandemic really messed with the population’s mental health.
In that article, I listed several recent cases I saw in the news just in September, but on Thursday night, I was just getting ready to call it a day when I saw another one.
A 35-year-old Texas mother shot and killed her four-year-old daughter and then shot herself. The mom was taken to the hospital and was expected to survive her injuries, but apparently, she didn’t. As my friend and colleague Chris Queen just said, “Better a funeral for this woman than a screwed up trial, ruined by virtue-signaling jurors.” Though he added that it probably wouldn’t go that way in Texas. (Agreed, but get back to me after the midterms.)
So, here’s the story: On Tuesday, the parents of this four-year-old girl, Vivian, appeared at a custody hearing. The judge granted the father, Aaron, custody, and he was to pick her up at the mother’s house that evening. But the little girl would never make it home to her dad.
Just before 6:00, the mom, whose identity hasn’t been released as of the time I’m writing this, Vivian, the girl’s stepfather, and a babysitter were in their Houston-area home. The stepfather and babysitter were downstairs when they heard gunshots upstairs. They rushed to Vivian’s room and found that she and the mother were shot and called 911.
Houston Fire Department paramedics pronounced the little girl dead at the scene, but the mother was taken to a local hospital, where she ended up dying the next day.
Aaron’s family released a statement via their attorney:
Our family is devastated. Vivian was four years old. She 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.
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.
We ask the public to remember that there are fathers everywhere who fight quietly, patiently, and within the law to protect their children. 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
This darling little girl will never get to grow up because of her mom’s selfishness.
Little Vivian Savella was just four. Lolice say yesterday, her mother shot her and then turned the gun on herself, just before Vivian’s dad was set to get custody. Vivian died. Her mother survived. More on @abc13houston. pic.twitter.com/DBnK88y8Jm
— Miya Shay (@miyashay) September 30, 2026
Vivian’s family said her father was supposed to bring her home Tuesday after a judge placed her in his primary care. https://t.co/XHI8HtmyPZ
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) September 30, 2026
Recommended: Are Maternal Child Abuse and Filicide Really on the Rise?
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