Bullied 12-year-old Fla. girl commits suicide
LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — A 12-year-old Florida girl committed suicide after she was bullied online by more than a dozen girls and a sheriff said Thursday that he is investigating whether he can file charges under Florida's new law that covers cyber-bullying.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said 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.
Sedwick was "absolutely terrorized on social media," Judd said.
The Lakeland Ledger (http://bit.ly/1enEgI5) 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?"
He said parents of all 15 girls have cooperated with detectives and several cellphones and laptops have been confiscated. Judd said charges could be filed — including cyber stalking.
http://bigstory.ap.org/article/bullied-12-year-old-fla-girl-commits-suicide