ST. CLOUD, Fla. – Several residents in Osceola County have found catfish in their mailboxes and yards, prompting questions whether it's a prank or something more serious.
Maddison Fertic said she received an unusual delivery Monday morning when her postman discovered a large, dead catfish inside her mailbox.
"I was honestly in shock because it doesn't make any sense," Fertic said. "It's just one of those things where it's, just, 'Why?'"
Fertic said the fish was 12 inches long, and she had to use a stick to pull it out.
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"It looked like it could have been a live fish that somebody stuck in there and then it flopped around like fish do because the whole mailbox is dirty," she said.
Fertic is not the only one to get the unwelcome mail. According to a Facebook page for Osceola County residents, two other people reported similar incidents this week. One resident reported finding a catfish in her mailbox and another said a fish was thrown into the yard of her St. Cloud home.
"I was kind of in shock that somebody would do that. It's not something you hear of every day," Fertic said.
Fertic said she lives in a quiet, family-friendly neighborhood. She thinks she is a random victim, adding that no one else on her street was targeted. She believes the incidents could be related to kids playing pranks, but she is worried the silly stunts could turn into bigger potential crimes.
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"It starts with the catfish in the mailbox, but then it starts with breaking into a car. You never know where things escalate to," she said.
Fertic plans to file a police report.