Casey Morris, 18, a senior at The High School at Moorpark College (HSMC), was found dead Saturday at his uncle's home in Fresno, Calif., where he had been visiting for the weekend.

A preliminary autopsy by the city of Fresno coroner's office was unable to determine a cause of death, and it may be weeks before further tests provide a definite answer.

Casey's stepfather, Robert Mitchell of Simi Valley, said family members had said good night to Casey on Friday evening but were unable to rouse him from his sleep the following morning.

Casey was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital but attempts to revive him were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead sometime around 11 a.m. Saturday.

"He went to sleep and he didn't wake up," Mitchell said. "He passed in his sleep."

Though no cause of death has been identified, the preliminary autopsy revealed that neither drugs nor alcohol played a role in Casey's death.

Daniel Arterburn, HSMC principal, received news of Casey's death Easter morning. Arterburn called Morris "a real intelligent, warm, caring guy," well on his way towards graduation.

"He just had a heart of gold," the principal said. "We were all in shock when we found out."

Casey's sudden passing has hit his fellow students hard. HSMC is a dual-enrollment school that encourages cooperative learning. With an enrollment of only 100 students (50 seniors, 50 juniors), classmates are a very close, tight-knit bunch, Arterburn said.

"At a big high school it's always a loss, but being we are such a small school . . . it's affected our student body significantly," he said. "It's a devastating loss for all of us."

Casey is survived by his mother, Sue Morris, a sister, Chelsea Mitchell, 16, and two older brothers, Eric Mitchell, 19, and Carson Morris, 22.

"He was a real family kid. He really looked after his sister," Robert Mitchell said.

Funeral services for Casey will be held this Sunday at 2 p.m. at Reardon Mortuary, 2636 Sycamore Drive in Simi Valley.

Although he was born in Redondo Beach, Casey has lived in Simi Valley since he was 1. He transferred to HSMC after attending Santa Susana High School for his freshman and sophomore years.

--Kyle Jorrey