Investigator Touring With the Annabelle Doll Mysteriously Dies

Lafayette, Louisiana (KMDL) - Paranormal Investigator Dan Rivera was on his "Devils on the Run" tour with the infamous "Annabelle" doll, bringing the doll around the Country when he suddenly died in his hotel room this past Sunday night (7/13/25).

Annabelle Haunted History

The haunted history of the Annabelle doll is one of the most infamous supernatural legends tied to real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.

The Annabelle Doll is the inspiration behind The Conjuring Universe films.

The was once famously kept in a glass case at the Warrens' Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut, with a sign that reads: "Warning: Positively Do Not Open."

The Annabelle Doll is a big, soft Raggedy Ann doll, given to nursing student named Donna by her mother in 1970.

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The doll allegedly soon began changing positions, appearing in different rooms, and even leaving notes saying “Help us” written on parchment paper, a type of paper which Donna didn’t keep in the apartment according to nhregister.com.

Alarmed by the creepy activity surrounding the doll, Donna had a psychic reading performed on the doll and was told that the doll was possessed by a spirit claiming to be a young girl named Annabelle Higgins, who had died on the property.

Eventually the Annabelle Doll was investigated by Ed and Lorraine Warren who concluded the doll was not inhabited by a child's spirit, but rather a demonic one.

A Catholic priest was called to perform an exorcism on the doll, and the doll was then confiscated by the Warrens.

This is when things began turning even darker.

Who Has Died Because Of The Annabelle Doll?

On the way home, Annabelle allegedly caused Ed and Lorraine Warren's car’s brakes to fail. Thankfully it wasn't fatal.

However, according to Ed and Lorraine Warren's case files, a Catholic Priest visiting their Occult Museum mocked Annabelle and tapped on the glass case dismissing its power. Allegedly that priest died in car crash on his way home.

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Then there was a couple visiting the Warren's museum who taunted the doll and dared it to harm him.

On their way home, the man and his girlfriend allegedly got into a motorcycle accident.

The man died instantly at the scene, and the woman survived but was hospitalized for a year.

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The Annabelle Doll's recent presence in New Orleans is also being blamed for the inmate escape and the fire at the Nottoway Plantation.

Now, there appears to be another death tied to the Annabelle Doll, the death of paranormal investigator Dan Rivera.

Dan Rivera's Death Tied To The Annabelle Doll

Dan Rivera, 54, was in Pennsylvania while on his "Devils on the Run" tour, hauling The Annabelle Doll across the U.S.

He was discovered dead in his hotel room Sunday night (7/13/25).

From TMZ.com -

A paranormal investigator on his creepy 'haunted' Annabelle doll tour in the 'haunted' battlefield town of Gettysburg has died ... completely out of the blue.

 

Adams County dispatch logs reveal a call for CPR in progress on a man matching Rivera’s age. Rivera's death was confirmed by the New England Society for Psychic Research, where he was the lead investigator. His exact cause of death remains unclear.

The Annabelle doll was recently in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 13-14, 2025 as part of Rivera's "Devils on the Run" tour.

Is this all just a coincidence, or is Rivera the latest victim of the Annabelle Doll?

Read more at TMZ.com.