Houston Mother Allegedly Kills Daughter, 4, After Losing Custody, Then Shoots Herself, Police Say

Police allege a Houston mother killed her four-year-old daughter at a home on the city's west side on Tuesday, 29 September, after losing custody, then shot herself. The 30-year-old woman is expected to survive.

Police said the girl's father had gained custody at a hearing earlier that day. Sources close to the family told ABC Houston affiliate KTRK that she was due to be handed over to him on Tuesday night.

Custody Hearing Preceded Houston Mother's Return Home

The child was identified as Vivian Savella by the family's lawyer. Police responded at at 5:45pm at 300 Terra Reserve, where Vivian was found shot to death.

An initial police explanation set out the events leading up to the shooting, beginning with the custody hearing. The mother and daughter then returned to the property, the department said.

'What we believe happened today is that the 4-year-old's mother, who's the 30-year-old who was transported, had a custody hearing earlier today. After that custody hearing, they came home,' Lt Larry Crowson of the Houston Police Department said.

The custody ruling forms part of the timeline described by police. Crowson's statement did not give a motive for the shooting or explain why the court had awarded custody to Vivian's father.

Gunshots Heard at Houston Mother's Home

The girl's stepfather and a babysitter were downstairs when they heard gunfire from upstairs, authorities said. They went to the upper floor and discovered the mother and child.

'The stepfather and a babysitter were downstairs. They heard gunshots upstairs, went upstairs and found the victims up there,' Crowson said.

Crowson described what the adults heard and what they found when they went upstairs. His statement did not identify either person as an eyewitness to the shots being fired.

Homicide investigators spoke to the stepfather and the childcare aide, both of whom were at the house. Their individual accounts of what happened before the gunfire were not included in the details provided.

Police allege the mother shot Vivian before turning the gun on herself. The girl died, while the woman survived. Crowson referred to the mother as the person who had been transported.

The available details did not identify the mother by name or set out any criminal charges. They also contained no account from her of the events that led to the shooting or a response to the police allegation.

Family Statement Follows Houston Mother's Alleged Attack

The family's lawyer said in a statement that Vivian's father had trusted the courts, followed every order and waited for the process to work. The statement described his reliance on the custody proceedings before the shooting.

Sources close to the family told KTRK that a family court judge had just granted him custody. Their account put the anticipated transfer later on Tuesday, after the hearing and the return to the home described by police.

The reported ruling and the planned handover were separate events. Although the father had already been awarded custody, Vivian was still at the home with her mother when the shooting occurred.

The account does not specify the arrangements for transferring Vivian to her father or say where the handover was meant to happen. She was due to be in his care that night, the family's sources said.