Parents in Chester County let out a huge sigh of relief on Friday as authorities announced that reports about needles found in Halloween candy turned out to be “unfounded”. Chester County Detectives have now released a statement saying that after an intensive investigation, both of the children who made the original reports about the needles have since recanted their stories. The story, initially reported on just after Halloween, was picked up by news outlets nationwide.

In a post on its Facebook page, the Kennett Square Police Department originally said that it would be filing charges with Chester County Juvenile Authorities against the pair for making a false police report however, they have now said that no formal charges will be filed and they have instead been released to their respective parents.

“Law enforcement is always in a difficult situation in these potential hoax cases, which seem to occur every year,” said Chester County D.A. Tom Hogan. “The public has to be notified immediately as a matter of safety. However, as anybody who has raised kids knows, it sometimes takes some work and time to get the full truth behind an initial story. In this case, law enforcement and the media did a sound job of balancing the need for safety with pursuing the ultimate truth. At this point, we are simply glad that we can assure the parents and children of Chester County that Halloween remains a safe and fun event.”

The two reported incidents were also not connected. The first was from an 11-year-old girl got the idea to put needles from her mother’s sewing kit into Twix bars from a picture shown to her by an adult, warning her to be careful. The second was from a 12-year-old boy who saw a media report of the initial hoax and decided to create his own. He showed a needle in his candy to his sister, who then reported it to the police.

While the two families remain unidentified, the Chester County DA’s office said they “apologized for the incident, understanding the serious impact it had on the community.”