Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim met in person for the first time with the family of Lauren Smith Fields.

"He wasn't on top of it the way he should have been and he apologized for that," said the family's attorney, Darnell Crosland. He explained that Ganim met with the family in his office on Saturday.

Bridgeport police, with help from the DEA, began a criminal investigation into the death of the 23-year-old Smith Fields who was found inside her apartment.

The medical examiner ruled she died from a combination of fentanyl, alcohol and other drugs.

Ganim came under criticism for having not reached out to her family from the start.

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"The mayor made it clear to us that we have his empathy and then he apologized for not speaking to us sooner. He agreed with us that if DOJ is going to be a positive influence, and lend the necessary assistance to the city, he's all for it, and we thought that was very good. He didn't take the stance that, 'I don't want DOJ in my city.' He thought if the civil rights branch of the DOJ can come in and shed some light on this, he's all for it," Crosland said.

In a statement Sunday, Ganim said in part, "I appreciated the opportunity to express condolences in person, and offer support to the family during this difficult time, along with working together to gain answers and discuss ways to ensure nothing like this can happen again."