A paranormal ghost hunter has just passed away while on tour with a supposedly possessed Raggedy Ann doll named Annabelle.
Dan Rivera was a lead investigator for the Connecticut-based New England Society for Psychic Research, or NESPR.
Rivera’s passing has stunned the community of believers and is reopening the discussion on whether the doll is evil.
Highlights
- A lead researcher for the New England Society for Psychic Research has lost his life unexpectedly while on tour with a supposedly haunted doll, Annabelle.
- Dan Rivera had been on a stop in Pennsylvania on the Devils On The Run tour when authorities were called to a hotel room.
- The cause of his passing has not been determined, but netizens say it’s all the evidence they need to call for the tour to be cancelled.
Dan Rivera lost his life while on tour with a supposedly haunted doll
Image credits: dan_rivera_nespr / Instagram
Image credits: dan_rivera_nespr / Instagram
According to local media, firefighters and medical personnel were called to a Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, hotel on Sunday, July 13th, around 8p.m.
54-year-old Dan Rivera was pronounced deceased by Adams County Coroner officials, who said the cause of his passing will not be made public until after an autopsy is conducted, which could take months.
Local media also report that officials said Rivera’s passing did not appear suspicious, and that he was found alone in his hotel room.
Rivera had been on the Devils on the Run tour, during which he and other members of NESPR brought the allegedly haunted doll, Annabelle, across the country to various locations.
“Dan truly believed in sharing his experiences”: Family, friends remember Rivera as devoted to his cause
Image credits: New England Society for Psychic Research
Image credits: New England Society for Psychic Research - NESPR / Facebook
Members of the society said they were heartbroken in an announcement of his passing on Facebook, where Rivera was described as a kind person.
“Dan truly believed in sharing his experiences and educating people on the paranormal. His kindness and passion touched everyone who knew him,” the statement read.
Image credits: New England Society for Psychic Research - NESPR / Facebook
Rivera’s family also put out a statement on social media to celebrate Rivera’s life as a devoted husband, father of four sons, and a staunchly faithful friend.
“We are currently at a loss for words as we process his loss, but are extremely thankful for the love, support, and respect during this unimaginable time,” the family’s statement read in part.
Image credits: fogofunknowns / TikTok
Members of the Ghostly Images of Gettysburg, the group that hosted the Gettysburg leg of the Devils on the Run tour also expressed their condolences in a statement.
“As we mourn the loss of a dear friend, we reaffirm our dedication to preserve the rich history and paranormal encounters that make Gettysburg extraordinary,” the statement said.
Annabelle’s history dates back to the 1970s
Image credits: Sarah Bond Rivera / Facebook
The Devils on the Run traveling tour is sponsored by NESPR and showcases Annabelle, a doll that NESPR claims is “demonically possessed” in various cities across the country.
The doll’s notoriety dates back to the 1970s when it was gifted to a nursing student who began to notice strange occurrences.
Image credits: Sarah Bond Rivera / Facebook
According to NESPR, the student and her roommate consulted a medium who claimed the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle.
After initially trying to welcome the spirit, the story goes, the women were soon confronted with increasingly disturbing events.
That’s when they turned the doll over to Ed and Lorraine Warren, a pair of well-known ghost hunters in New England.
Image credits: dan_rivera_nespr / Instagram
Ed, who claimed to be a demonologist, and Lorraine, who said she was clairvoyant, set up a museum on the back of their Connecticut house.
Annabelle was placed under lock and key at the Occult Museum for years until this Spring when she was taken on tour.
“Y’all took it on tour”: Netizens say the doll should never have gone on tour
Image credits: SA Live / YouTube
The mystery surrounding Annabelle has only grown in recent years.
As the star of no less than three horror films, including Annabelle (2014), Annabelle: Creation (2017), and Annabelle Comes Home (2019), the doll is a fixture in The Conjuring Universe, which includes eight horror films on similar topics.
But strange things started happening when Annabelle was taken on tour this year.
Image credits: Warner Bros
Shortly after visiting New Orleans in mid-May, a terrible fire destroyed a historic plantation, Nottoway Plantation House, located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
And then, 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center. Coincidence or the work of an evil doll?
Image credits: dan_rivera_nespr / Instagram
For some believers, the events in New Orleans and elsewhere, plus Rivera's recent passing, are evidence that the tour should be canceled going forward.
“The tour is too risky,” one person said. “Put it back where it was supposed to stay!” one person begged.
“They said don’t move the doll. And y’all took it on tour,” said another, referring to the Warren’s original warning about not moving or touching the doll.
According to NESPR, Annabelle’s next scheduled visit will take place in Rock Island, Illinois, from Oct. 4 until Oct. 5.
Netizens have their own opinions about Rivera’s passing while on tour with a supposedly haunted doll
