AUSTIN — Homeowners in a South Austin neighborhood as well as employees at the United States Postal Service are left scratching their heads after a group mailbox disappeared entirely.

The mailbox serves close to three dozen homes in the Central Park neighborhood off Stassney Lane. Neighbors believe it was stolen sometime between late Monday night and Tuesday morning.

“Swung by the mailbox and it wasn’t there,” said homeowner James Harkins. “It doesn’t look right not having it over there after seeing it there for the last five years.”

United States Postal Inspector Michael Sullivan said it’s fairly common to see individual mailboxes damaged or destroyed. However he has never seen one disappear entirely.

“I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I have never seen one just removed like that,” said Sullivan. Read more