Is the haunted doll Annabelle to blame for a plantation fire? The internet says yes

USA Today

25-05-2025

Is the haunted doll Annabelle to blame for a plantation fire? The internet says yes "I didn't realize people were out here like, actually thinking that this was legit," said Tim Nealon, the owner of Ghost City Tours.
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Here's how paranormal investigators actually hunt ghosts
Paranormal investigators share their tips, techniques, and tools of the trade. Most importantly, if you encounter a ghost or spirit DO NOT ENGAGE IT.
Grateful
Is a demonic doll touring the U.S. to blame for the mishaps in Louisiana? That's what the internet is saying, which has led to a ghost tour company receiving multiple death threats.
Ghost City Tours hosted and sold tickets to the public to see Annabelle, the haunted Raggedy Ann doll that inspired the movie "Annabelle," which is a part of the "Conjuring" universe.
"It was nice to have our own weird event," said Tim Nealon, the founder, president and former CEO of Ghost City Tours.
However, despite the success of the sold-out event, the internet began to blame the escape of 10 inmates from a New Orleans jail and a fire that destroyed the Nottoway Plantation on Annabelle's visit.
Annabelle doll appeared at sold-out New Orleans event
Ghost City Tours teamed up with "Annabelle's Caretakers," an extension of the now-closed Warren Occult Museum, while they were touring the U.S. with the allegedly haunted doll. The doll was originally on display at the Warrens' Occult Museum, which permanently closed to the public in 2019 after Lorraine Warren, one of the original owners, died, according to Atlas Obscura.
Annabelle's tour stopped in several states and cities, including the Ghost City Tours office in New Orleans from May 13 to May 14, where fans of the paranormal were able to visit Annabelle and learn more about her origin story.
The event sold out immediately.
"It was literally sold out within seconds," said Nealon. "I mean, I felt like it was some big-name concert."
Social media reacts to Annabelle's New Orleans visit
While some people took to social media to joke about the coincidence of Annabelle's visit, others didn't think it was a joke at all.
"I did not think people were taking it seriously, (because) I kept seeing jokes about it on Instagram and TikTok," said Nealon. "But, I didn't realize people were out here like, actually thinking that this was legit."
Some people online are "absolutely convinced that Ghost City Tour is responsible" for the plantation fire and the inmates' escape, according to Nealon.
People are even sending them death threats.
"I could never imagine sending anybody a death threat at all, let alone over a (expletive) haunted doll," said Nelon.
Where did Annabelle go next?
Annabelle visited San Antonio, Texas, where the doll was displayed at the annual San Antonio Psychic & Spirit Fest from May 17-18.
What is Annabelle the doll?
In 1970, a mom gave her daughter, Donna, a 28-year-old nursing student, the now-infamous doll, according to the New England Society for Psychic Research, NESPR. She'd purchased Annabelle from a hobby store.
Donna and her roommate, Angie, noticed weird paranormal activity happening around the apartment, which began to escalate.
Legend has it that the paranormal activity only became worse. The doll was thought to be inhabited by the spirit of a young girl, but Donna soon believed it was actually possessed by something "demonic and inhuman."
The doll was later handed over to Ed and Lorraine Warren, a couple famous for collecting paranormal objects and artifacts.
Annabelle was put on display in their museum, which was located in Monroe, Connecticut.