Police Share Findings Into Annabelle Doll Handler Dan Rivera's Death
Police are clearing the air about the sudden death of Dan Rivera, the paranormal investigator who passed away while on tour with the supposedly haunted Annabelle doll.
Dan was found dead on July 13 at a hotel in Gettysburg, where the 54-year-old and the New England Society of Psychic Research (NESPR) hosted a viewing of the mystifying toy, according to the Pennsylvania State Police.
"The decedent was discovered in his hotel room by workers," a police report released on July 16 read. "Nothing unusual or suspicious was observed at the scene."
A cause of death has not been determined, pending an autopsy, per authorities.
In the wake of Dan's death, his fellow investigators at the NESPR said in a July 15 press release that they were "still coming to terms with this profound loss."
"Dan was not only a vital part of our team for over a decade, but also a deeply compassionate, loyal and dedicated friend," their statement read. "His caring nature and sense of purpose made a deep impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him."
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While they "do not know what the future of NESPR will look like without Dan," the organization is still moving forward with their plans to tour Annabelle.
"We believe with all our hearts that Dan would have wanted the work to continue," NESPR added in their statement. "We will carry his spirit with us in everything we do."
NESPR was founded by demonologist Ed Warren and his wife Lorraine Warren, a trance medium. Their work—particularly with Annabelle, which NESPR said was determined by the couple to be "demonically possessed"—served as the basis of The Conjuring movie franchise, with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga playing the Warrens.
According to NESPR, Dan was a "constant presence" around Lorraine before her death in 2019.
"He worked closely with Lorraine Warren and remained by her side even as her health declined," the firm noted in its July 15 statement, "always offering a steady hand and unwavering support."
Typically, Annabelle is kept at the Warrens' Occult Museum in Monroe, Conn. However, NESPR is currently offering what is advertised as a "chilling experience" with the doll as part of its Devils On The Run Tour.
The tour is slated to wrap up in Maine this September.
Read on for more celebrity supernatural stories.
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