Paranormal investigator working with infamous 'cursed' doll dies suddenly
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Sky News AU
17-07-2025
- Sky News AU
Paranormal investigator Dan Rivera dies suddenly on ‘Annabelle' haunted doll tour
A paranormal investigator died suddenly Sunday night while touring with the infamous and supposedly haunted Annabelle doll, his tour organizers have announced Dan Rivera, a US Army veteran, was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on his sold-out 'Devils on the Run Tour' when firefighters and medics rushed to his hotel, the Evening Sun reported. CPR was performed but Rivera, 54, died, according to the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), where he was the lead investigator. His exact cause of death remains unclear. Rivera was featured as a paranormal investigator on the Travel Channel's 'Most Haunted Places' and served as producer for a number of other shows, including Netflix's '28 Days Haunted.' As part of his tour, Rivera was traveling around the US with other members of the NESPR to show off Annabelle, the creepy and allegedly demonic doll. His death came after he finished a three-day sold-out stop in Gettysburg from Friday through Sunday, hosted by 'Ghostly Images of Gettysburg Tours' at the Soldiers National Orphanage, the NESPR said Monday. Rivera, who is survived by his wife, Sarah, and four children, used social media, including viral TikToks, to bring international attention to the tour. Fellow paranormal investigator Ryan Buell paid tribute to Rivera. 'I have so many amazing memories with this guy. Just as recently as two months ago, we traveled around the country and introduced a whole new generation to Ed and Lorraine Warren's legacy,' he wrote on TikTok. Annabelle, a Raggedy Ann doll, was tied to a series of supposed hauntings in 1970 after being given to a Connecticut nursing student named Donna. Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous paranormal investigators, claimed the doll physically lifted its own arms, followed people around the apartment, and would display other frightening and malicious behavior. The couple also claimed Annabelle had stabbed a police officer and caused a car crash involving a priest. A psychic medium claimed the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a dead 6-year-old girl called Annabelle, and the Warrens said it was demonically possessed and moved the doll to their museum in Connecticut. The Warrens, who founded the NESPR in 1952, investigated a number of mysterious cases, including the Amityville Horror house on Long Island and the Annabelle doll. Their stories inspired 'The Conjuring,' the highest-grossing horror movie series worldwide. After Ed's death in 2006, followed by that of Lorraine in 2019, the Warrens' occult museum and the NESPR have been maintained in Connecticut by their daughter Judy and son-in-law Tony Spera. In 2019, the museum closed to the public over zoning issues, and in recent years, they have toured around the US instead. Back in mid-May, conspiracy theorists tried to link Annabelle to a prison breakout and devastating fire in Louisiana, pointing to the timing of the doll's tour stop in New Orleans. But Spera stamped out the speculation, telling The Post that Annabelle was never 'out of our control' during the pit stop in the Big Easy. Originally published as Paranormal investigator Dan Rivera dies suddenly on 'Annabelle' haunted doll tour
9 News
16-07-2025
- 9 News
Paranormal investigator working with infamous 'cursed' doll dies suddenly
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here A paranormal investigator who was helping with a US tour of a supposedly haunted Annabelle doll has suddenly died, the company has said. Dan Rivera worked with the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), which is currently on a national tour of the US, taking the infamous Annabelle doll across the country. Rivera died suddenly on Sunday, while the company was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the NESPR said in a post to Facebook. The doll is the most infamous allegedly haunted or cursed doll among paranormal believers. (TNS) "With heavy hearts we share the sudden and heartbreaking loss of our dear friend and colleague Dan Rivera," the statement reads. "MESPR is devastated by his passing and is still coming to terms with this profound loss." Rivera was the lead paranormal investigator and a US Army Veteran, and often worked at events with the company like "An Evening with Annabelle" experience. The Annabelle doll was made famous through the horror movie The Conjuring , which was inspired by the real-life rag doll that was purchased from a 1970 hobby store by a mother, who gave it to her daughter, who was a nurse. Annabelle was reported to move on its own and leave notes and "psychic slashes" on her victims. Dan Rivera worked with the New England Society for Psychic Research. (New England Society for Psychic Research Facebook) She was handed over to the late paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who kept the doll in their occult museum in Connecticut. The doll was said to cause disasters whenever she was moved to another city for touring. It is the most infamous allegedly haunted/cursed doll among paranormal believers. NESPR said while Rivera's work "inspired fascination and curiosity," above all, he was a "father, devoted husband and loyal friend". His cause of death has not yet been determined. The company said it is trying to figure out a path forward to continue Annabelle's tour of the US without Rivera. CONTACT US
Perth Now
16-07-2025
- Perth Now
Annabelle doll handler dies whilst on tour with cursed toy that inspired The Conjuring films
Dan Rivera, the handler of the real-life Annabelle doll that inspired The Conjuring character, has died while on tour with the cursed toy. Paranormal investigator Rivera was the primary caretaker of the Annabelle doll, a possessed Raggedy Ann doll that was housed in the now closed Occult Museum of Ed Warren and his wife Lorraine Warren located in the back of their house in Monroe, Connecticut. Rivera was on a tour of the US, titled Devils on the Run Tour, hosted by Ghostly Images of Gettysburg and the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) - which was founded by the late Warrens - when he unexpectedly passed away at the age of 54. No cause of death has yet been released. A post on the New England Society For Psychic Research official Facebook page read: "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. His kindness and passion touched everyone who knew him. Thank you for your support and kind thoughts during this difficult time." Despite Dan's death, the doll will continue to tour on the remaining dates. The haunted Raggedy Ann doll - which is based on the character featured in a series of books by American writer Johnny Gruelle - is connected to paranormal events in the 1970s. It had come into the possession of Donna, a 28-year-old student nurse, from Hartford, Connecticut, who reported the doll behaving strangely and would move around her apartment on its own. A psychic medium informed Donna and her roommate that the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a deceased six-year-old, but after it began exhibiting malicious behaviour they contacted the Warrens who pronounced it was demonically possessed and took it away to store in a glass case in their occult museum. The Warrens claimed the doll could give "psychic slashes" to people she didn't like, drawing blood as if she had used a knife. The Conjuring Universe movies, which are based on the real-life paranormal investigations of the Warrens, made Annabelle a horror icon, albeit with a different design due to copyright issues with the Raggedy Ann doll. The demon doll is the main protagonist in Annabelle (2014), Annabelle: Creation (2017) and Annabelle Comes Home (2019), whilst also appearing in The Conjuring (2013), The Conjuring 2 (2016), Michael Chaves' The Curse of La Llorona (2019) and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2020). The Conjuring: Last Rites, the final movie in the current Conjuring Universe, will hit cinemas this September.
