The creepy history of the real Annabelle doll as handler Dan Rivera dies aged 54

Daily Record

16-07-2025

The paranormal investigator was on tour with the 'possessed' doll that has a terrifying history.
Paranormal investigator Dan Rivera died suddenly on July 13 while on tour with a 'possessed' doll that inspired horror movies The Conjuring and Annabelle. The New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) announced the US Army veteran's death on Facebook.
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The organisation said: "It's with deep sadness that Tony, Wade, and I share the sudden passing of our close friend and partner, Dan Rivera. We are heartbroken and still processing this loss. Dan truly believed in sharing his experiences and educating people on the paranormal.
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"His kindness and passion touched everyone who knew him. Thank you for your support and kind thoughts during this difficult time."
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The cause of the paranormal professional's death has not yet been revealed. His tour, named 'Devils On The Run', had gone viral due to its inclusion of the original Annabelle doll.
But as the 54-year-old's tragic death makes headlines, questions are being raised on the true story of the 'haunted' doll that he was travelling with.
Here is the true story of Annabelle.
The haunted history of the real Annabelle doll
The first owners of Annabelle
While the Conjuring and Anabelle films featured a terrifying china doll, the inspiration for the horror movies was a Raggedy Ann doll- a popular children's toy from the 1970s that had been first released back in 1915.
Before the doll was made famous by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who feature in The Conjuring movie, Annabelle was owned by a student nurse named Donna in 1970, according to website Haunted Rooms.
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The story goes that the doll was bought by Donna's mother for her birthday from a second-hand shop.
But the student quickly noticed that things weren't right with the Raggedy Ann doll, who appeared to move around the house of her own accord.
When left on the bed, for example, she would be found later on the sofa or the floor, leading Donna and her roommate Angie to believe she was possessed.
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After a series of creepy notes that reportedly said 'help us', and 'help Lou', who was the girls' male friend, the doll was eventually found with what appeared to be real blood on her hands.
The real 'spirit' of Annabelle
After the terrifying turn of events, a medium sat down with Angie and Donna.
The psychic told the girls that their building was constructed on a field where a seven-year-old girl had died years before.
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Allegedly, the girl's spirit was fond of the toy and her ghost merged with the Raggedy Ann, becoming the haunted Annabelle doll.
Donna and Angie took pity on the girl and decided to keep the doll so she wouldn't be left alone.
Annabelle's first 'attack'
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The girls' male friend Lou was the first to be 'attacked' by the haunted doll.
He entered the room where Annabelle was left after hearing something moving around.
The doll had moved from the bed to being sat upright on a chair in the centre of the room, and as Lou moved towards her, he felt a sharp pain across his chest.
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He soon realised that his chest was covered in claw marks, and he saw no other explanation other than he'd been attacked by the haunted toy.
This was when the famous Warrens were called in.
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The Warrens
A priest and the pair of renowned paranormal investigators exorcised Donna's flat, and they allegedly discovered that the doll had been trying to possess the student nurse.
Ed and Lorraine took Annabelle away, though their car reportedly faced an array of problems on the road as they set out to lock up the possessed doll.
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Ed even suffered a severe car crash after provoking Annabelle, though he survived.
The story says she was even seen levitating in the air in the Warrens' home.
While they failed to rid the doll of the spirit, the ghost hunters managed to lock her in a glass case, where she was kept in the Warrens' Occult Museum in Connecticut until its closure.
She is now on the Devils On The Run tour, but after Dan Rivera's death, it has not been announced whether the tour will continue.
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