The death of a Lakes High School sophomore has sparked an investigation at Fort Lewis about how the teen got onto the Army post, where she was found dead early Sunday.

The death shocked the girl’s classmates, who returned to school Tuesday. Friends remembered Leah King, 16, as a trusting friend.

“She was definitely fun to hang out with,” said Dylan Drennen, who had been friends with Leah since the sixth grade. “We would just wander the road, play video games.”

King’s family announced her death on the teen’s MySpace page online, saying “just so everyone knows, we have very few details about what happened to Leah.”

The family said it would update friends when more information is available and when a private memorial service is scheduled.

The Army announced the death in a news release more than 36 hours after the teen was pronounced dead. Base officials said the delay was necessary because of the Presidents Day holiday and the need to notify King’s family.

However, word spread quickly among friends and family early Sunday, with some finding out within an hour. Initial reports, spread by voicemails and text messages, said King died from a drug overdose, which shocked her friends.

“I told her if she ever faced issues with drugs or alcohol, to give me a call,” Drennen said. “And she never gave me a call.”

King re-enrolled at Lakes earlier this month after leaving in September to take online classes and briefly enroll in the Job Corps. She had recently starting dating a Fort Lewis soldier, who was questioned and released by authorities. She reportedly met with him for Valentine’s Day.

Grief counselors came to the high school Tuesday as word of King’s death made its way through the student body and even over to Clover Park High School in Lakewood.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death continued. Fort Lewis released no new information. Public affairs officer Joseph Piek reiterated that the base is reviewing the installation’s access and barracks policies.

“We will ensure the investigation is thorough,” Piek said.

Fort Lewis policy states that guests 16 and older must be sponsored by an authorized ID holder and must present photo identification before entering the post. To visit a barracks, a minor must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

The teen was declared dead Sunday inside a Fort Lewis barracks room after emergency personnel responded to a 911 call about 3:30 a.m., according to Fort Lewis public affairs officials. Rescuers found the teen and another 16-year-old girl unconscious.

The second girl was taken to Madigan Army Medical Center on the post, where she was reported to be recovering Tuesday.

Kim Prentice, a spokeswoman for the Clover Park School District, said she did not know the name of the second teen or whether she attended Clover Park schools.

The post’s Criminal Investigation Division is looking into the case.

Investigators are trying to determine how the girls got on base and what happened at the barracks, which are living quarters for single soldiers.

An autopsy was completed at Madigan, but a cause of death was not immediately determined. Piek said it could be a couple of weeks before more information about the cause of King’s death is released.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office had not received official word of the death Tuesday.

Debby Abe: 253-597-8694

Brian Everstine: 253-597-8374

Staff writer Stacey Mulick contributed to this report.