The probe into the suicide of a 12-year-old girl was more of a 'publicity stunt ' than an investigation , according to a new lawsuit . Rebecca Sedwick leaped to her death from the roof of an abandoned concrete plant in Lakeland , Florida in September 2013 . The following month , the Polk County Sheriff 's Office said she likely killed herself following 'malicious harassment ' from two schoolmates , Katelyn Roman , then 12 , and Guadalupe Shaw , 13 . Both girls , who were students at Crystal Lake Middle School , were arrested on charges of aggravated stalking and the sheriff 's office distributed their names and mug shots . Suicide : Rebecca Sedwick , pictured with her mother , took her life in 2013 and two girls were arrested for bullying her but later released . One of the girls has now filed a lawsuit against the sheriff 's department . Authorities claimed they bullied Rebecca online and sent her messages such as 'go kill yourself ' . But the charges were dropped when police were unable to find any evidence of the messages . On Wednesday , lawyers representing the family of the youngest girl filed a lawsuit naming Sheriff Grady Judd and Deputy Jonathan McKinney , the Orlando Sentinel reported . It accuses them of using Rebecca 's death as an 'opportunity for media attention ' and says that they maliciously deemed the girl 'the poster child example of a cyber-bully ' . She was arrested without any factual basis , according to the lawsuit . It also accuses the sheriff 's office of falsely telling the media that the girl had admitted to bullying Rebecca , even though this was false . Arrested : Katelyn Roman , 12 , and Guadalupe Shaw , 13 , were arrested a month after the suicide for allegedly bullying the girl - but the charges were dropped when police filed to find evidence of harassment . Defiant : After the charges was dropped , Katelyn went on the Today show with her parents and attorney and denied she had ever bullied the 12-year-old girl . Her family has now filed a lawsuit in Polk County . 'Although the charges were unsubstantiated and ultimately dropped , the incident left [ jer ] devastated and irreparably damaged , ' the lawsuit says . Named : Sheriff Grady Judd , pictured , is accused of using Rebecca 's death for 'media attention ' Last year , it was reported that Katelyn had the third highest state testing score in Polk County but feared that she would no longer be able to continue her education after being suspended . The family is seeking at least $ 15,000 in damages . A representative for the sheriff 's office said the claims 'have no merit ' . Following Rebecca 's death , Judd claimed that Guadalupe had posted online : 'Yes [ I know ] I bullied REBECCA and she killed her self but IDGAF [ I do n't give a f*** ] . ' Judd said the message led to her arrest , explaining : 'We decided that we ca n't leave her out there . Who else is she going to torment , who else is she going to harass ? ' But Guadalupe claimed her account had been hacked and the charges were ultimately dropped . The rift between the girls allegedly came after Guadalupe started dating Rebecca 's ex-boyfriend . At the time , the teen boy told DailyMail.com that the girls fell out because he still liked Rebecca . Rebecca 's computer searches revealed she had searched for ways to commit suicide and asked questions like : 'What is overweight for a 13-year-old girl ? ' Last summer , Rebecca 's mother , Tricia Norman , filed a lawsuit in Polk County , seeking more than $ 15,000 from each of the defendants over the death of her daughter . Heartbroken : Rebecca 's mother , pictured , filed her own lawsuits against the accused bullies last year . Norman , who said her 'happiness no longer exists ' , said the school failed to properly supervise the girl accused of stalking her daughter , even though they were allegedly aware of the situation . She also claims Cemex Construction Material in Lakeland did not properly care for the perimeter fence at the abandoned facility , allowing the 12-year-old to easily scale it and jump . Rebecca 's mother previously told WFTV that her daughter had been bullied online for months . ' I keep waiting for an apology that I know will never come , ' she said after her daughter passed away . 'This lack of personal responsibility is beyond upsetting . ' • For confidential help , call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or click here . • For confidential support on suicide matters in the UK , call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 , visit a local Samaritans branch or click here .
Rebecca Sedwick took her life in September 2013 and her family and authorities said she had been the victim of online bullying . A month later , the Polk County Sheriff 's Office said she died after 'malicious harassment ' from Katelyn Roman , 12 , and Guadalupe Shaw , 13 . But the charges were dropped as they found no evidence of messages . Now the youngest girl 's family has filed a lawsuit accusing the sheriff and a deputy of using Rebecca 's death as an 'opportunity for media attention to further their own political agenda'