Two girls, ages 12 and 14, have been arrested and charged with felony aggravated stalking, which authorities said may have contributed to the suicide of Rebecca Ann Sedwick. The 12-year-old had been bullied through social media, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, as reported by CBS News.
Authorities said that Sedwick was "terrorized" by as many as 15 girls who bullied her for months through online message boards and text messages. Some of the girls cell phones and computers have been seized during the investigation.
"You haven't killed yourself yet," one message read. "Go jump off a building."
Days later, Sedwick soon climbed a tower at an abandoned concrete plant on September 9 and hurled herself to her death, CBS reported.
The intense bullying that authorities say led to Rebecca's suicide stemmed from a dispute between her and a former classmate over a boy both girls dated, police said on Tuesday. Sedwick was harassed for months when both students at a Florida middle school.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the two girls arrested on Monday night were released to their parents' custody, but remained in home detention, news reports said. Judd said neither girl's parents wanted to bring their daughters to the sheriff's office, so detectives went to their homes and arrested them.
Sedwick's mother, Tricia Norman, called the arrests the best birthday present her daughter could have received.
"Because justice is finally being served," Norman told CNN. "Something's finally being done about these girls that are bullying her. That's all she ever wanted was somebody to listen and do something about it."
No court date has yet been set for the girls, CNN reported.
