ROSEVILLE, Mich. – A Roseville High School honor student and athlete who passed away Tuesday died of natural causes because of a heart problem.
According to Macomb County Medical Examiner Dr. Daniel Spitz, Joseph Manfreda suffered internal bleeding from an arterial abnormality.
The eleventh-grader was a member of the school's wrestling and track teams.
"Joseph was an extremely well liked and popular student who excelled both on the athletic field as well as in the class room, evidenced by the fact he was slated to be his class valedictorian," Roseville police said in a statement.
A vigil to honor Manfreda will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the school's main gym.
A GoFundMe.com page has been set up to take donations for funeral costs.
Statement from Roseville High School Principal Pete Hedemark:
Some of you may have heard the news that one of our students, Joe Manfreda passed away yesterday. Joe was a lifelong Roseville resident, phenomenal athlete (Cross Country, Track, and Wrestling), and a student at the very top of his class.
We know that Joe was recently sick and his passing was a result of some type of medical issue. We do not have any other details at this time.
Joe was very well liked and respected by students and staff and Roseville High School had many supports put into place today to support everyone in the building. In addition to our building crisis team, which consists of teachers, principals, counselors, our school psychologist, and parapros, approximately 10 additional counselors and psychologists from around the district were in our building to support our students and staff. We had multiple adults in the classrooms where Joe would have had class today, as well as extra support for Joe's teammates. The library was available to all students that were having an especially hard time coping. Students were surrounded by friends and staff members that were willing to offer a hug, encouraging words, and a listening ear.
At the request of the students, we will be holding a vigil for Joe tonight. Due to the extreme cold, we will be holding the vigil in the main gym at 7:00pm. After a few people speak some kind words, we will then release the students outside to release lanterns if they wish. Students will then be asked to return home to protect them from the cold.
We are all grieving this loss to our school and we will do our absolute best to make sure that your children and our staff are well cared for in this time of tragedy. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the school if you have any concerns that you feel we should be aware of. We recognize that the grieving and healing process is ongoing and will affect our community in the coming weeks and months.
There have been no arrangements released at this time, but we will pass along the information as we receive it.