BOSTON -- A neighborhood in Acton is on edge Tuesday after a gruesome coyote attack.

John Musacchio woke up Saturday morning to find a grizzly scene in his back yard -- a deer torn to shreds, apparently by a pack of coyotes.

"It was the most gruesome thing I'd ever seen and there were areas of the yard where you could see the struggle occurred and fur and parts of deer in various locations," said Musacchio.

Musacchio said the snow created a perfect crime scene, where prints revealed what had to have been a terrifying chase.

"From the best we could tell it was between two and four. And, uh, two of them chased it from my neighbor's yard, over the stone wall into our yard. Another two looked like they came down my driveway and tackled it right over here and you could see fur and where the thing was pressed into the snow," said Musacchio.

NewsCenter 5's Amalia Barreda reported that concern about children and pets in the neighborhood prompted Musacchio to call police, the animal control officer and even wildlife authorities, but got no answer from anyone.

Karen Benn said she's nervous because she has three children and a very playful dog.

"We're afraid really to be out here. I won't leave them out here by themselves," said Benn.

Musacchio said the coyotes came back, sometime Monday night, because the carcass was moved. What astounds him is that he and his neighbors didn't wake up during the kill.

"I can't imagine how loud the ruckus must have been and no one heard it," said Musacchio.

Musacchio and his neighbors said they often see deer, and another attack could happen in someone else's yard. Wildlife officials would only say nature tends to continue doing what it does even after people make neighborhoods out of what was their habitat.