Deaths, fires and prison breaks: The mystery behind the eerie Annabelle doll

Metro

16-07-2025

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A cursed doll rumoured to have gone missing while touring the US with a travelling exhibit is being blamed for local disasters, including a fire and a jailbreak.
Annabelle, a doll which some believe is demon-possessed and was featured in The Conjuring horror films, is on a paranormal tour along with other items belonging to her ghost hunter owners.
She's dominating headlines again after her handler on the tour, Dan Rivera, was found dead in his hotel in mysterious circumstances.
Rivera had become a cult figure in the paranormal world, gaining a devoted following through his eerie investigations, viral content, and direct work with some of the world's most notorious haunted objects.
The Devils on the Run tour, which began in May, brought Annabelle to cities across the U.S., sparking massive interest as well as widespread concern.
Critics accused Rivera of exploiting fear and superstition, while some believers warned that removing the doll from its sealed case could unleash dangerous energy.
At the centre of it all was Annabelle, a seemingly innocuous Raggedy Ann doll believed to be possessed by a malevolent spirit, or worse.
Odd things began happening in mid-May, however. The doll vanished while stopping at the Ghost City Tours office in New Orleans – the same week that a fire tore through a nearby plantation and 10 prisoners escaped from a jail.
But Tony Spera, the owner of the Warren Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, said that Annabelle was 'safely back' in the museum, locked in her display case.
'You know, it's easy for rumours to start. The fact of the matter is that doll was never out of our sight, never out of our control,' Spera told NBC News this week.
'It's in a protective case and many precautions were taken to make it safe.'
Paranormal investigator Ryan Buell sought to further quell rumours by posting a video on Facebook on May 24 of himself at the museum.
'She's not in Chicago, she never was in Chicago, and she's not missing because she's right behind me,' said Buell, while pointing the camera towards him with the doll sitting in the case over his shoulder.
Still, social media users and conspiracy theorists have been sceptical about those accounts of Annabelle's whereabouts.
A blaze destroyed the Nottoway Plantation House between Baton Rouge and New Orleans on May 15, and the very next day, inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Centre.
Annabelle was touring in New Orleans on May 13 and 14, and among the precautions that were taken was having a Catholic priest alongside the doll.
Some people are 'absolutely convinced' that Ghost City Tours is at fault for the fire and jailbreak, said its founder, Tim Nealon.
One Facebook user asked why Annabelle wasn't left at the Connecticut museum and wrote on Ghost City Tours' page: 'Did it cross your mind maybe she was there for a reason? Some things are better left alone.'
'I did not think people were taking it seriously, I kept seeing jokes about it on Instagram and TikTok,' Nealon told USA Today.
'But, I didn't realise people were out here like, actually thinking that this was legit.'
Spera said he doesn't blame people for being sceptical: 'If people don't know about the demonic, it's very difficult to believe that these things are happening,' he said. 'But they do happen.'
Annabelle has been on sold-out tours across the US, and Buell previously said that plans were underway for her to be at the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo in Illinois on October 4.
Those plans have been made uncertain by Rivera's sudden death this week.
Annabelle's legend dates back to the 1970s, when a young nurse claimed the doll moved on its own and left frightening handwritten messages.
The events began in 1970, when a nursing student named Donna received the doll as a gift from her mother.
Shortly after, Donna and her roommate Angie reported unusual activity involving the doll, including changes in its position and location within their apartment.
They also discovered handwritten notes on parchment paper with disturbing messages such as 'Help me,' despite not having such paper in the apartment.
Seeking an explanation, the women consulted a medium who claimed that the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a deceased girl named Annabelle Higgins. More Trending
However, the Warrens, upon investigating, concluded that the presence associated with the doll was not that of a human spirit but a malevolent, demonic entity using the doll as a conduit to ultimately possess a human host.
Following their investigation, the Warrens removed the doll and placed it in a secure glass case in their Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, with a warning label reading, 'Warning: Positively Do Not Open.'
The doll is also associated with a supposed curse. The Warrens recounted an incident in which a museum visitor mocked the doll and challenged its power.
According to their account, the visitor died in a motorcycle accident shortly after being asked to leave the museum. This story has contributed to the belief that Annabelle carries a dangerous curse, although no verifiable evidence supports these claims.
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