Latest news with #WarrenOccultMuseum
Metro
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Haunted doll's handler says it's not responsible for disasters while on tour
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A cursed doll rumored to have gone missing while touring the US with a traveling exhibit is being blamed for local disasters including a fire and a jailbreak. The 'Annabelle' 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. Word on the street in mid-May was that Anabelle vanished while stopping at the Ghost City Tours office in New Orleans. It happened to be 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 is 'safely back' there locked in her display case. 'You know, it's easy for rumors 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 that many precautions were taken to make it safe.' Paranormal investigator Ryan Buell sought to further quell rumors 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 skeptical 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 Center. Annabelle was touring in New Orleans on May 13 and 14, and among the precautions that were taken were 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 realize people were out here like, actually thinking that this was legit.' More Trending Spera said he doesn't blame people for being skeptical. 'If people don't know about the demonic, it's very difficult to believe that these thing are happening,' he said. 'But they do happen.' Annabelle has been on sold-out tours across the US – and Buell said that plans are underway for her to be at the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo in Illinois on October 4. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Family business '£10,000 out of pocket' after Meta blocks their accounts for 12 weeks MORE: British journalist Charlotte Peet who vanished in Brazil four months ago has been found MORE: FDA tomato recall elevated to highest level due to salmonella risk
NDTV
a day ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
'Haunted' Annabelle Doll Back In Custody After Claims It Went Missing: "Was Never Out Of Control"
Last week, the allegedly haunted Annabelle doll sparked online panic after claims it went missing during a paranormal tour in the US. However, the doll's owner confirmed it's safely back home and "was never out of control." According to the New York Post, the doll's appearance in New Orleans coincided with a prison breakout and a devastating fire, fueling conspiracy theories. Notably, the Annabelle doll gained notoriety after being featured in the 'The Conjuring' movie series. According to Tony Spera, the owner, Annabelle is safely back at the Warren Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, under lock and key. "The doll was taken on a brief tour to several locations to show the doll to enthusiasts of the paranormal. The doll was never out of our control. We take extreme precautions when handling or transporting the doll," Mr Spera told The Post. Some people believed Annabelle's visit to New Orleans was a bad omen, citing the Nottoway Plantation House fire on May 15 and the inmate escape from the Orleans Justice Centre on May 16. However, most of the escaped inmates have been recaptured. "I did not think people were taking it seriously (because) I kept seeing jokes about it on Instagram and TikTok. But, I didn't realise people were out here like, actually thinking that this was legit," Ghost City Tours founder Tim Nealon told USA Today. The Annabelle doll was owned by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, and it's now housed in their former home, the Warren Occult Museum. The museum isn't open to the public. To protect against the doll's supposed malevolent energy, the case was treated with blessed holy water and holy oil, and crosses were cut into the wood. "The doll is blessed by a Catholic priest before moving it, while on tour and after it is returned to the museum. On the tour, a Catholic priest, Father Bob, travelled with us the entire trip," Mr Spera added.
New York Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Demonic ‘Annabelle' doll ‘safely back' in custody after claims it escaped, caused havoc in NOLA
The real-life 'Annabelle' doll was blamed for a string of alarming incidents by conspiracy theorists that claimed it escaped while on tour in New Orleans — but its owner confirmed it's safely back home and 'was never out of control.' The diabolical — and supposedly demonic — Raggedy Ann doll fictionalized in 'The Conjuring' movie series made a pit stop at Ghost City Tours office in the Big Easy in mid-May — the same week of a dating prison breakout and a devastating fire at a former plantation nearby. The timing led to speculation that the doll was behind the chaos. Advertisement 3 The 'Annabelle' doll is back in Connecticut after a brief tour. Matthew McDermott But she's 'safely back' behind lock and key at the Warren Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, owner Tony Spera told The Post. 'The doll was taken on a brief tour to several locations to show the doll to enthusiasts of the paranormal,' Spera said. Advertisement 'The doll was never out of our control. We take extreme precautions when handling or transporting the doll.' The precautions, which included having a Catholic priest traveling with Annabelle, apparently weren't enough for some observers who believe the doll's stint in New Orleans on May 13 and 14 was a bad omen. An inferno destroyed the historic Nottoway Plantation House between Baton Rouge and New Orleans on May 15 and the next day 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center. Most inmates have since been recaptured. 'I did not think people were taking it seriously, (because) I kept seeing jokes about it on Instagram and TikTok,' Ghost City Tours founder Tim Nealon told USA Today. Advertisement 'But, I didn't realize people were out here like, actually thinking that this was legit.' 3 Fire crews took on the fire at the Nottoway Plantation on Thursday, May 15. AP He said some people are 'absolutely convinced' Ghost City Tours is culpable in the prison break and fire. 'Why didn't you just leave her where she was at,' one person asked the Ghost City Tours on their Facebook page. 'Did it cross your mind maybe she was there for a reason. Some things are better left alone.' Advertisement 'You shouldn't have moved her,' another social media user chimed in. Late husband and wife Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous paranormal investigators, owned Annabelle along with other haunted relics at the museum before their deaths. 3 The inmates escaped from the NOLA prison. Spera, the Warren's son-in-law, has carried on their work as leader of the New England Society for Psychic Research. He said in his email that one of his workers used blessed holy water and holy oil, which was mixed into the stain that was then applied to the wood case. Other religious fixtures, including crosses cut into each side of the case, were also affixed to the case for the tour. 'The doll is blessed by a Catholic priest, before moving it, while on tour and after it is returned to the museum,' Spera said. Advertisement 'On the tour, a Catholic priest, Father Bob, traveled with us the entire trip.' With Post wires
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Paranormal experts DEFEND taking 'evil' doll Annabelle on tour and reveal new strange encounters
The Annabelle doll's tour across the country sparked theories that the famously haunted relic was responsible for chaotic events that followed, but Annabelle's keepers have rebuked the fiery claims in exclusive interviews with Annabelle, a famously haunted Raggedy Anne doll, started a tour earlier this month ahead of a Psychic Festival, making stops in West Virginia, Louisiana, and Texas. The doll's famous history began in 1970 after it had been gifted to a Hartford nurse and then began moving on her own and, in one instance, allegedly attacked the owner's fiancé. Lorraine and Ed Warren, renowned paranormal researchers and founders of Warren's Occult Museum, investigated the doll's paranormal activity and gave her a permanent spot in their museum. She was displayed in a protective case, fitted with carved prayers and crosses as well as a sign made by Ed Warren, which read, 'Warning: Positively Do Not Open.' The Warrens had always warned about moving Annabelle but for those who took the doll on tour they vehemently defended doing so and say it is what the Warrens would have wanted. NESPR Lead Investigator into the paranormal, Chris Gilloren, who was part of the tour team, told '[Annabelle's] not a spectacle, but it's a great way to get people talking about evil. That's what Ed and Lorraine wanted to do. They wanted to expose the devil, and tell people, advise people that the devil is real.' Ryan Buell, a paranormal investigator who also joined the tour, agreed that it was about education and continuing to spread the work of Ed and Lorraine Warren. 'We keep the legacy and name of Ed and Lorraine alive. That they devoted their lives to this work, that there are people our there who still dedicate their own lives to helping people who are having these experiences,' Buell said. 'It's not that people just went in and saw a doll and they're like, 'oh cool.' We sat there and we talked to people. We talked about the dangers. We talk about the precautions.' But the tour was not without it's strange and creepy moments that fueled wild online speculation on Annabelle's ability to leave a path of destruction as she moved around the country. On May 15, as Annabelle left Louisiana - her second tour stop - the historic 166-year-old Nottoway Plantation was destroyed in a blazing fire. Online speculation quickly turned to the doll's close presence as the reason the historic site went up in flames, but her caretakers are not convinced. Gilloren said: 'I don't know where these people come up with these... I mean, it's taken off, it's got a mind of its own. 'We don't think it has anything to do with us, of course, or Annabelle.' One post on X connected the dots on May 19 and wrote: 'Three days ago they moved Annabelle, one of the most haunted dolls from Monroe, Connecticut, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and now the largest sugarcane plantation in Louisiana burned down AND 11 inmates in a New Orleans Prison escape...' 'Didn't the Warren's say she should never be move,' the post concluded. Another comment said: 'Taking her down here where there's voodoo and spirits everywhere is actually an idiot move I have to say.' Many other social media users worried about their own cities, and even contacted those monitoring Annabelle. '...the amount of messages, emails that I received through our websites and social medias... they truly believe Annabelle did all this, which makes no sense to me personally... you know, why would she burn it down?' Gilloren said. Gilloren said he believed that the events were purely coincidental. Speaking to Buell, pointed out the route Annabelle took as she left Louisiana. He examined the route through the state and said: 'This is the first time I've ever looked. Okay, yes, I can confirm we were within five miles [of the plantation] on the freeway. And, yes, it was on the same day. 'So, I mean, yes, that is a very bizarre coincidence.' Yet, Buell said there was an even stranger occurrence before they left New Orleans - a voodoo Priestess who 'challenged' Annabelle. 'We were like, 'wait, so we're being blamed for what? A plantation? Somewhere in Louisiana? Louisiana, okay, well probably coincidence,' But I mean, I kind of thought, well, there was this voodoo priestess who challenged Annabelle when we were leaving,' he recalled. 'We were packing up and all of a sudden we heard tambourines and someone's screaming, 'Go to hell, Annabelle,'' Buell said. 'She laid holy water down and said, 'In the name of New Orleans voodoo, I rebuke you.'... but I mean, there was the thought of, yikes, this priestess just challenged Annabelle. It was almost like voodoo versus the demonic,' he continued. 'And so... there was that creeping thought of, 'what if,'' Buell said. Theories that blamed Annabelle for the fire and escaped inmates were just the tip of the iceberg of the strange goings on during the doll's time on the road. 'To our knowledge, it's the first time we brought Annabelle to another haunted location, especially that far out,' Buell said, of their first tour stop in West Virginia State Penitentiary, a famously haunted building. 'What was weird - and I've been to the penitentiary many, many times - when Annabelle was in the prison, the activity around the prison was low.' Buell added that they had psychic mediums with them in the prison who said that other 'spirits' were 'staying at a distance'. Buell said that he had visited the West Virginia State Penitentiary numerous times before, but that Annabelle's presence had quietened other spirit activity he had experienced before. Pictured: Ryan Buell in front of the WV State Penitentiary '[The spirits are] just kind of watching. A couple were saying they felt uneasy,' Buell said. 'They didn't know what that meant. Then when we took Annabelle out, you know, we're wrapped up... Then the activity picked up. 'And the two employees who were there, who regularly witnessed the activity, they pulled me to the side and said, 'look, they don't like it that Annabelle is here. They don't like its energy, so they're hanging back.'' After Annabelle had left, other activity picked up again. Buell recalled his previous experiences at the prison, without Annabelle. 'You'll hear whispers. You'll hear footsteps. And then especially in the infirmary on the second floor. That place is so active,' he said. 'You'll literally hear bangings if you say, hey, knock for me. You'll hear intelligent responses, you know, knocking back.' He described his experience within the infirmary as feeling like 'prey'. 'You're very well aware of the fact that you're being watched. You feel like something is literally following you and you start to feel a sense of danger,' he added, recalling that he heard bangs and the slamming of doors around him. Annabelle's presence at the penitentiary was not only felt by the spirits within the building, but also those who came in for the tour. Buell recalled how things got 'aggressive' as they used a spirit box to communicate with the doll, who inspired The Conjuring and Annabelle movie franchises. He said the process involves one person listening with noise cancelling headphones, only able to hear what's going on inside the box, while those outside ask questions. 'It's pulling from like public radio stations, right? The spirit box. It just randomly jumps from station to station and pulls sounds and voices from it,' Buell said. 'People would ask questions, 'who's here with us? Is the entity around Annabelle here?' and suddenly the answers.. suddenly it started to turn to like, 'You b***. I want your body.' Some other stuff.' '...I remember at one point I was like okay, I'm done. This energy is getting a little too weird. And so we had another person do it and then they got very emotional,' he continued. Despite having worked with Annabelle many times before, Buell still found himself sensing a strange energy surrounding the doll. 'In New Orleans, myself and Wade, who is a member of NESPR, were mainly the ones giving the talks about the Warren's... and so we would have to stand in front of Annabelle for hours,' he said. 'And the first day, Wade and I looked at each other and we're like, the energy is so off, like it feels so weird and he totally agreed.' 'I started getting really intrusive thoughts, and Wade had to remind me that the demonic often use psychological tactics, so we just doused ourselves in holy water and kept going,' Buell recalled. But even with Annabelle's unnerving presence, her keepers defended the doll against the spiral of rumors that Annabelle had caused the chaos along their route. 'I mean, she was down in San Antonio and I really haven't heard of anything happening in San Antonio. She was in West Virginia. I haven't heard anything up in West Virginia happening,' Gilloren said. 'She's in Connecticut. I mean she's been in Connecticut for 50 years. We don't blame every kind of disaster on Annabelle,' he added. Anabelle's tour continues in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania from July 11-13 and then in Rock Island, Illinois, from October 4-5.
News18
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
No, Haunted Doll Annabelle Is Not Missing; This Is Where It Is Right Now
Last Updated: The Annabelle doll was out for a special tour called the Devils on the Run Tour, which stopped in New Orleans earlier this month. Famous haunted doll Annabelle, which featured in The Conjuring movies, caused a lot of trouble among people after reports claimed it had gone missing. The doll was out on a special tour called the Devils on the Run Tour, which stopped in New Orleans earlier this month. Some visitors said they didn't see Annabelle and many started assuming the doll was lost or stolen in Louisiana. Rumours escalated after a fire broke out at a nearby resort and some started linking the two events. To clarify the situation, Dan Rivera, the lead investigator from the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), showed Annabelle safe inside the Warren Occult Museum. Even NESPR confirmed that the doll was not stolen. NESPR too confirmed and wrote, 'It's a Rumour. Annabelle has NOT been stolen. The doll is safely in place at the Warren Occult Museum." The Devils on the Run Tour will head to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in July. Fans and curious visitors will get another chance to see Annabelle closely at the 2025 Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo on October 4 in Rock Island, Illinois. Annabelle was first owned by a student who contacted paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren after strange and scary things started happening with the doll. The Warrens said the doll was not just haunted, but possessed by a demon pretending to be the spirit of a young girl. Annabelle became well known after appearing in the 2013 horror film The Conjuring. Due to her spooky presence, she got her own movie in 2014, followed by two more films, Annabelle: Creation in 2017 and Annabelle Comes Home in 2019. First Published: May 26, 2025, 15:01 IST
