HOKE COUNTY, N.C. — Every day in the past, Evelyn Matthews has gone outside her home to get her mail, hoping for something good. But when she opened the mailbox and peeked inside one day this week, something else peeked out back at her. She was standing face to face with a deer head.

"It was scary," said Matthews. "When you see two eyes looking at you, it's really frightening."

She ran for help and warned her neighbors -- and for good reason. They found deer parts in their mailbox.

"It's nasty," said neighbor Michael Degregorio. "It's just disgusting, really."

Investigators called it a teen prank, and said they caught the teen who pulled it off. The suspect has promised to get his victims new and clean mailboxes. They promised not to press charges.

"Everybody gets in trouble when they're young," said Degregorio.

Matthews and Degregorio said they now think twice about getting their mail.

"Like I told my husband, I don't know if I want to check my mailbox anymore or not," said Matthews.