12 year old Murdered by Cyber-Bullying

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note: she committed suicide but to me she was murdered.

A 12-YEAR-OLD girl has committed suicide after she was bullied online by more than a dozen girls and a sheriff said he is investigating whether he can file charges under a new state law that covers cyber-bullying.

Sheriff Grady Judd said that Rebecca Ann Sedwick killed herself on Monday at an old cement business.

Investigators in Lakeland, Florida, say the girl was despondent after others had posted hate messages about her online. Rebecca was "absolutely terrorized on social media", Mr Judd said.

The Lakeland Ledger reports that detectives found multiple social media applications where Rebecca 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 mobile phones and laptops have been confiscated. Mr Judd said charges could be filed - including cyber stalking.

"If we can get any evidence of a criminal offence, the person or persons involved will be punished," he said.

Before her death, Rebecca had searched questions online related to suicide. Detectives also found photos of Rebecca with razor blades lying on her arms and with her head resting on a railroad track, Judd said.

Mr Judd said a 12-year-old boy in North Carolina, who Rebecca met through social media, knew of her plan. Rebecca messaged him only hours before her death saying she was dead and "I can't take it anymore."

Rebecca also changed her name on a free messaging application to "That Dead Girl".

Judd said detectives are trying to investigate the social media applications that Rebecca used, including Kik and Ask.fm, but many of the websites are based in other countries.

If detectives can find evidence, according to Florida law, the girls could be charged with felony cyber stalking because Rebecca was under 16 years old.

"If you bully somebody online and it's reported to us and we can build a credible case, we will charge you," Mr Judd said.

Ask.fm has already been linked to several other teenage suicides.

The Latvian-based website, which launched in 2010, boasts about 60 million users worldwide and is growing by thousands every day.

But it faces a growing backlash after the  death of British 14-year-old Hannah Smith earlier this year, who reportedly suffered months of bullying on the website before committing suicide.

For help with emotional difficulties, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or www.lifeline.org.au

For help with depression, contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 or at www.beyondblue.org.au

The SANE Helpline is 1800 18 SANE (7263) or at www.sane.org

Five cyber safety resource websites parents should know about:

- eSmart (AMF) esmart.org.au

- ThinkUKnow (AFP) thinkuknow.org.au

- Cybersmart (ACMA) cybersmart.gov.au

- The Easy Guide to Socialising Online (DBCDE) dbcde.gov.au

- Mashable (US, private company) mashable.com