No, The Haunted Annabelle Doll Wasn't With Dan Rivera When He Died In Hotel Room

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Dan Rivera was found dead in his hotel room in Gettysburg on July 13.
Dan Rivera, a well-known paranormal investigator, was found dead in his hotel room in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 13. The 54-year-old, a researcher with the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), was on a tour with the haunted Annabelle doll when he lost his life. After the news of his sudden death made it to the headlines, people started speculating that the infamous doll was behind it.
Contrary to popular belief, officials have now confirmed that the doll was not in the hotel room when Dan died. Adams County Coroner Francis Dutrow told People that the doll was nowhere to be found in the room when he arrived. In fact, the Annabelle doll was not there at any time during Dan's stay in the hotel room. Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania State Police shared a report with the outlet on July 16, stating that 'nothing unusual or suspicious was observed at the scene."
Earlier that day, the paranormal investigator had informed his colleagues that he was not feeling well and had decided to rest in his hotel room. He was later found dead in his room, with the exact cause still unknown. An autopsy report is expected to be coming out in the next few weeks.
Who Is Dan Rivera
A US Army veteran, Dan Rivera was a lead investigator with the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), which was founded in 1952 by famous ghost hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren. Besides his role as a researcher, he had also worked on paranormal shows, including Travel Channel's Most Haunted Places and produced Netflix's 28 Days Haunted. He is survived by his wife, Sarah, and their four children.
At the time of his death, Dan was on a paranormal tour titled Devils on the Run, which featured some allegedly haunted objects, including the Annabelle doll. According to NESPR, he last performed at the Soldiers National Orphanage as part of the tour.
All About The 'Haunted Annabelle" Doll
According to NESPR, the Annabelle doll is known in the world of the paranormal for being 'haunted". The real antique doll is named Raggedy Ann. It first showed abnormal behaviour in 1968 when a nursing student in Connecticut claimed that it moved on its own, left eerie messages and even turned violent. Later, it was said that the doll was possessed by the spirit of a child named Annabelle.
Ed and Lorraine Warren, founders of NESPR, said that the doll was not haunted but possessed by a demonic entity. They locked it in a glass case at their museum in Connecticut. Annabelle became well-known after appearing in the 2013 horror film The Conjuring. Due to her spooky presence, she starred in her own movie in 2014, followed by two more films: Annabelle: Creation in 2017 and Annabelle Comes Home in 2019.
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First Published:
July 21, 2025, 15:24 IST
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