A paranormal investigator has tragically passed away during a tour with the real-life “haunted” Annabelle doll. Dan Rivera, known for his work as a producer on Netflix’s “28 Days Haunted” and an investigator for the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), was discovered dead at the age of 54 in his Gettysburg, Pennsylvania hotel room. He had been touring the U.S. with the infamous demonic doll. This unfortunate event isn’t mere promotion for the upcoming “The Conjuring: Last Rites” but a genuine tragedy.

The “Devils on the Run” tour brought Annabelle, the inspiration for the doll featured in “The Conjuring” film series and “Annabelle” spinoffs, to various cities across the nation, allowing fans and curious individuals to see the famous horror object up close. During an interview with I95 Rock earlier this year, Rivera described a peculiar incident after handling the doll: “After I moved that doll from the case … I had to leave the museum that evening because my leg started shaking really bad,” he recounted. “I began experiencing cold sweats, so I had to exit the museum, which was unlike anything I had ever felt before.“

Ryan Buell, a fellow NESPR member, shared a tribute to Rivera on TikTok: “We are all currently grieving the loss of our friend, and we ask people to respect his friends and family during this time.” Rivera’s exact cause of death has yet to be determined. He leaves behind his wife, Sarah, and their four children.

While she’s a horror movie icon, there’s a dark history to Annabelle that’s rooted in reality, going back to 1970 when a nurse acquired a Raggedy Ann doll. She felt a sinister energy from the doll and noticed strange events following her arrival, like the words “help me” written on paper scattered across the floor. The case attracted the attention of Ed and Lorraine Warren — famous paranormal investigators whose exploits are the inspiration for the “Conjuring” movies — who determined that the doll contained an entity that wished to acquire a human host.

The Warrens took the doll from the nurse and added it to their collection of haunted artifacts, with Annabelle becoming a fixture of the Warrens’ Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut. Over the years, the Warrens have largely been dismissed as frauds who didn’t possess any otherworldly abilities, despite what their Hollywood adventures might have the general public believe. They naturally still have their fans, and anything with their name attached is bound to attract attention, especially a doll like Annabelle. 

In 2019, following Lorraine Warren’s death, the museum closed to the public due to zoning problems. A tour kicked off in 2025 to bring the Warrens’ artifacts on the road, with Annabelle being a main attraction despite prior warnings from Lorraine that no one should ever move the doll. With everything that’s transpired, perhaps that warning should have been heeded.

Dan Rivera’s death is a tragic occurrence, but despite what many folks online want to believe, this is just a horrible happenstance and there’s likely no curse actually associated with the doll. However, it’s understandable that a lot of people think something supernatural is afoot, since this isn’t the first ruinous event to befall the “Devils on the Run” tour.

The Annabelle doll made an appearance in New Orleans, Louisiana on May 13 and 14, 2025. Despite the NESPR taking precautions for the tour, including traveling with a Catholic priest, many believed the doll’s visit to the bayou unleashed chaos. On May 15, a fire burned down the Nottoway Planation House, while the following day, 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Parish Prison. As of this writing, nine of the inmates have been recaptured while one remains at large. It almost sounds like a concept for another “Annabelle” film, with the demonic doll possessing an on-the-loose criminal. 

Are malevolent forces at play? Or are these just coincidences? Either way, the public’s fascination with evil dolls isn’t going away anytime soon.