Bullied Girl Commits Suicide: 12-Year-Old Jumps to Death After Cyber Bullying Over Boy
Authorities have discovered that a 12-year-old- girl who allegedly jumped to her death last week in Florida was being bulling by at least fifteen girls from her school.
Rebecca Ann Sedwick jumped to her death last Tuesday after what appears to be at least a year and a half of bullying. The 12-year-old girl was discovered outside of an old cement building in Lakeland, Florida where officials believe she may have jumped from a cement silo that had three tiers ranging from 16-60 feet off the ground.
A year prior to her death Rebecca had been attending Crystal Lake Middle School where her mother told sheriffs in an incident report that she was constantly "threatened" and bullied according to The Ledger. Girls would prompt fights, the mother said, and at some point Rebecca was pushed while walking down the hall. After attempting to change her schedule failed, Rebecca was moved to home school but the bullying did not stop there. Police have uncovered social media messages made by about 15 young girls that establish that Rebecca was being severely cyber bullied over what appears to be a former boyfriend.
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Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Thursday that the 12-year-old had been "beat down" with messages online that included "Go kill your¬self" and "Why are you still alive?"
Just before her death, Rebecca said in a message to a boy from out of state that whom she appears to have met online: "I'm jumping, I can't take it anymore."
She had also previously conducted searches on her computer that included phrases such as: "How many over-the-counter drugs do you take to die?" and "How many Advil do you have to take to die?"
Judd said that all 15 girls were currently under investigation. The girls's parents have cooperated fully and handed over different pieces of technology to the police. Thanks to Florida's new cyber bullying law, if proof of cyber bullying can be established, the girls could face criminal action.
"We're trying to sort out a bunch of girl talk that goes further than girl talk," Judd told The Ledger. "If we can get any evidence of a criminal offense, the person or persons involved will be punished."
