LAREDO, Texas -- On Sunday, March 7, Lillian and Alexander Mimun got the news parents fear most.

"I just couldn't believe it," said Alexander Mimun.

Police said their son, 23-year-old Alexander Jonathan Mimun, known as AJ, died from a possible drug overdose.

The Mimun's adult daughter first got the call from a Laredo police officer.

"She told me that he said, 'Your brother is dead,' (and) just like that, she started screaming," said Lillian Mimun.

Even more upsetting, the family said the officer asked if he could send a cell phone picture to identify his body and then sent a photo of AJ after an unsuccessful resuscitation attempt.

"I really don't know the procedure, but I don't think that was right," said his Alexander Mimun.

"I think it was pretty dangerous what he did," said Lillian.

The Mimuns said AJ had his life on track. He worked at Sonic and his dad's automotive shop. But they say he had met a young woman from Laredo with a history of drug problems.

"He just fell for the wrong person and he was blind," said Alexander.

"I think he was easily influenced," said Lillian.

The exact cause and manner of Mimun's death is still unknown. The Webb County Medical Examiner in Laredo said an autopsy was done on his body shortly after his death, but the report is not ready to be released yet.

His family posted a tribute to AJ on YouTube, brought his car back to San Antonio and buried him. Their grief continues, and the shock over his death and how they were notified, the said, may never go away.

"I haven't even looked at the picture myself," said his mother.

Laredo police issued a statement Tuesday.

"The Laredo Police Department strives to provide professional and efficient service to all who are involved in any of the department’s investigations, especially in the humane and sensitivity required in informing next of kin in any death notifications," the statement read. "We regret any miscommunication or misconception that the Mimum [sic] family may have perceived which may have extended their grieving process in their tragic loss. Due to the immediacy of the circumstances in this case, the investigators needed to ensure the identity of the deceased in order to effectively carryout the ongoing death investigation process."