What happened to ‘Annabelle’ doll after investigator Dan Rivera dies mysteriously in hotel room? Truth might spook you

Dan Rivera, a 54-year-old paranormal investigator and US Army veteran, was found dead in his Gettysburg, Pennsylvania hotel room this week. His death occurred just hours after he completed a sold-out performance of the “Devils on the Run Tour” at the Soldiers National Orphanage, an event that featured the reportedly cursed Annabelle doll, New York Post reported.

When first responders arrived Sunday night, they discovered Rivera’s body but noted that the infamous doll was not in the room, according to Adams County Coroner Francis Dutrow, who spoke to People on Friday.

The cause of Rivera’s death remains uncertain, with autopsy results still awaited to be released.

About Dan Rivera

Rivera gained recognition as a paranormal investigator on the Travel Channel’s “Most Haunted Places” and worked as a producer on several other programs, including Netflix’s “28 Days Haunted”.

As part of his tour, Rivera travelled across the United States alongside members of the New England Society for Psychic Research, an organisation established in 1952 by renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, to showcase the Raggedy Ann Doll figure.

In 1970, the Annabelle doll became linked to a series of alleged hauntings after being given to Donna, a nursing student in Connecticut. Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren stated that the doll moved its arms on its own, followed individuals around the apartment, and exhibited other terrifying and hostile behaviours.

The Warrens, whose experiences inspired the “The Conjuring” horror film franchise, also asserted that Annabelle was demonically possessed. They claimed the doll once stabbed a police officer and caused a car accident involving a priest before being placed in their museum in Connecticut.

A psychic medium involved in the case believed the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a deceased six-year-old girl named Annabelle.

Since then, conspiracy theorists have connected Rivera’s unexpected death to the supposedly haunted artifact, even though state police confirmed on Wednesday that there was “nothing unusual or suspicious” discovered at the scene.

Despite the sudden loss of their lead investigator, the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) announced plans to carry on with their supernatural tour.

According to tour organisers, “We believe with all our hearts that Dan would have wanted the work to continue — bringing people together, sharing knowledge, and honoring the memory of Ed and Lorraine Warren. We will carry his spirit in everything we do.”