Annabelle doll became a household name in 2014 when the horror film under the same name within The Conjuring franchise hit the theatres. The movie followed the story of a possessed doll, haunting a couple nearly to their death. The real doll that inspired the film and its sequels is often in the spotlight. However, the sudden demise of paranormal investigator Dan Rivera has put the doll at the centre of controversies, once again. The Annabelle doll handler died in a Pennsylvania hotel while bringing the possessed doll on a national tour, ‘Devils on the Run’, on behalf of the New England Society for Psychic Research, a group founded by the late paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The cause of death has not been revealed yet; however, curiosity among social media users about the lead paranormal investigator and supernatural conspiracy surfaced online. So, who was Dan Rivera? What is the origin of the Annabelle doll? Read on to know why the doll is back in the spotlight. Dybbuk Box Ghost Story: Found Annabelle Doll Story Scary? Wait Till You Read The Spooky Legend of Vintage Wine Cabinet That's So Creepy, You Will Have to Sleep With Lights On Tonight!

Who Was Dan Riveria?

Dan Riveria was a paranormal investigator and a US Army veteran. At the time of his death, he was 54. He was widely known in the supernatural community for his work on the Travel Channel’s Most Haunted Places and also as a producer on Netflix’s 28 Days Haunted. Riveria used social media, especially TikTok, to educate the audience about the world of paranormal research and the legacy of Ed and Lorraine Warren. He had been touring the United States with the original Annabelle doll—a Raggedy Ann figure infamously tied to a string of supernatural claims dating back to the 1970s. Is Annabelle Doll Real? Know True Story of Haunted Demonic Doll of The 'Conjuring' Fame That is Locked Up at The Warren's Occult Museum in Connecticut. 

Watch Video of Paranormal Investigator Dan Rivera With Annabelle Doll:

Dan Rivera Passes Away

The Warrens, pioneers in the field of paranormal study and investigation, alleged that the doll had physically moved on its own, even stalked people and caused violent accidents that included a stabbing and a car crash involving a priest. Riveria was one of the key figures in the travelling exhibit, continuing Warrens' legacy and helping to reintroduce Annabelle’s chilling lore to a younger audience.

The Original Annabelle Doll

 

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What Is the Origin of the Annabelle Doll?

The Annabelle doll was kept in a museum in Monroe, Connecticut, founded by paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The museum is now closed to the public. The origin ties in 1968, when a nursing student was gifted a Raggedy Ann doll, which she brought back to the apartment that she shared with a roommate. According to the New England Society For Psychic Research’s timeline, the roommates “noticed strange occurrences with the doll” before a medium told them it was “the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle. The two roommates tried to accept the doll’s spirit and please it only to have it reciprocate maliciousness and violent intent.” The Warrens deemed the doll “demonically possessed” and then encased it in a glass box to contain the evil-spirited entity.

The Annabelle doll debuted in the 2013 movie The Conjuring, based on Warrens’ real-life investigation of the Perron family home. The 2014 movie Annabelle displays the doll’s backstory, with changes from the NESPR’s claims. Meanwhile, the Annabelle original doll was recently part of the “Devils on the Run Tour,” honouring the work of Ed and Lorraine Warren.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 17, 2025 01:30 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).