Sheriff: 12-year-old Fla. girl commits suicide after she was bullied online by a dozen girls

9/12/2013

LAKELAND, Fla. — A Florida sheriff says a 12-year-old girl committed suicide after she was bullied online by more than a dozen girls, and that he’s investigating the cyber-bullying.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said today during a news conference that Rebecca Ann Sedwick jumped to her death on Monday at an old cement business in Lakeland, a city between Tampa and Orlando.

Investigators say the girl was despondent after others had posted hate messages about her online.

The Lakeland Ledger reports that detectives found multiple social media applications where Sedwick was constantly bullied with messages, including “Go kill yourself,” and “Why are you still alive?”

Judd said Sedwick was terrorized.

He said parents of all 15 girls have cooperated with detectives and several cellphones and laptops have been confiscated.