A terrifying doorbell prank that police spent over 100 hours investigating has led to the discovery that three masked teenagers who terrorized the Virginia home were related to the victims.

The trio were seen on doorbell camera footage approaching the Alexandria property on October 14, taunting the homeowners with demands to open the door and threatening to make their own way in.  

In the clip, one of the suspects could be heard yelling: 'It's either you come out or we coming in.' 

The Alexandria Police Department denounced the incident, saying those responsible could face criminal charges. The public were encouraged to report any information that could help identify the masked individuals. 

Video of the haunting prank gained quickly went viral and gained national attention.

Shayla Whiteside was staying with her mother in the home at the time and screamed at the teens to reveal their identities as they continued to yell at her to open the door.  

After over 10 minutes of taunting, the group finally fled the home, and Whiteside's family reported the incident to police. 

Over a week after the chilling interaction, detectives have now confirmed that the three teens were related to the victim, and their mother helped orchestrate the prank. 

'A significant break in the case came after the department's first press conference, when multiple community tips led investigators to the suspects, three juveniles, ages 14 to 16, who were related to the victim,' the department announced. 

The mother later confessed to the police that she approached the home in Halloween masks with her two sons and nephew. 

Police added that two additional adults participated in the sick prank by filming the interaction from the street. 

It is not believed the homeowners were aware of who responsible until they were informed by police. 

The family has decided not to pursue criminal charges, so police have not had cause to reveal their identities. 

'While this case may not result in prosecution, it represents a serious moral failure,' Alexandria Police Chief Tarrick McGuire said. 

'Pranks of this nature are not taken lightly. Actions like these could have deadly consequences.'

McGuire added that parents have a responsibility to guide their children's behavior and must be held accountable for it. 

He defended the decision not to press charges, telling reporters during a press conference: 'From a human perspective, while this was very challenging, we also have to ask: "Does this individual desire to prosecute against their family?"' 

'And I think that they decided not to, and we have to work through that. We have to try to respect that decision.' 

Police stressed that, even though the nightmarish scenario turned out to be a family prank, the situation could've quickly escalated into violence. 

Whiteside had called her brother for help before reporting the incident, and he arrived at her home with a firearm. 

After the prank, Whiteside condemned the behavior on her Facebook, writing in a post: 'This isn’t a prank. They came to my door dressed like this… then tried to get in [the house].' 

McGuire warned the community that similar pranks tend to escalate as Halloween approaches and said he hopes people learned from the incident.