text: 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 don't give a f***].' Judd said the message led to her arrest, explaining: 'We decided that we can'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 .
target: 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'
  The sheriff's office said the claims have 'no merit'