Paranormal investigator Dan Rivera, known for handling the “Annabelle” doll said to be possessed by evil spirits, has died.
Rivera, 54, was found dead July 13 in his hotel room in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, according to Adams County Chief Deputy Coroner Scott Pennewill and reported by Today.com.
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The coroner’s office and state police responded to the scene Sunday night. An autopsy is pending and is expected to take 60 to 90 days. According to Pennewill, Rivera’s death is not considered suspicious
Pennewill told TODAY.com that the Annabelle doll was not present at the scene. Rivera was found alone. He said the doll may have been inside a van in the hotel parking lot but could not officially confirm its location.
Rivera’s death was announced on the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) Facebook page.
NESPR said Rivera was a former U.S. Army veteran who worked closely with famed paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren until her death. He was a regular presence at NESPR events, including “An Evening with Annabelle,” where fans could see the haunted doll up close.
At the time of his death, Rivera was participating in the “Devils on the Run Tour,” hosted by NESPR. The Connecticut-based paranormal research group was founded by Tony Spera, son-in-law of the late investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The tour celebrates the Warrens’ legacy, especially their work with the Annabelle doll, which NESPR says is “for those braves enough to face her.”
Who is Annabelle?
In 1968, the Warrens discovered Annabelle, a redheaded Raggedy Ann doll given to a nursing student who lived with a roommate.
Shortly after the doll arrived, the roommates experienced strange occurrences. A medium told them the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle, according to NESPR’s website.
The roommates initially tried to accommodate the spirit but were met with increasing malicious and violent activity.
Eventually, the Warrens determined the doll was “demonically possessed” and removed the doll from the home and placed in a glass case to contain the evil entity.
The wide-eyed Raggedy Ann doll now resides in the Warrens’ Occult Museum in Connecticut, secured by crosses and holy water, according to NBC News.
For more details on Annabelle or more about the New England Society for Psychic Research, check out their website.
