Paranormal investigator Dan Rivera, 54, was discovered dead in his hotel room in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, just hours after completing a sold-out “Devils on the Run Tour” at the Soldiers National Orphanage — an event that showcased the allegedly cursed Annabelle doll.
However, the eerie doll was not in the room when first responders arrived and found the U.S. Army veteran deceased on Sunday night, Adams County Coroner Francis Dutrow confirmed to People on Friday.
Paranormal investigator Dan Rivera with Annabelle doll. @dan_rivera_nespr / Instagram
The cause of Rivera’s death has not yet been determined, as autopsy results remain pending.
Annabelle doll in a glass case with a warning sign. Matthew McDermott
Rivera had previously appeared as a paranormal investigator on the Travel Channel’s “Most Haunted Places” and had worked as a producer on several other paranormal-themed shows, including Netflix’s “28 Days Haunted.”
His tour involved traveling across the U.S. with fellow members of the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR) — founded in 1952 by renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren — to exhibit the infamous Raggedy Ann Doll.
Rivera died suddenly on Sunday night in Pennsylvania. Dan Rivera / Facebook
The Annabelle doll has long been associated with a series of alleged hauntings dating back to 1970, when it was gifted to a Connecticut nursing student named Donna. According to the Warrens, the doll could mysteriously raise its arms, follow people, and engage in other disturbing behavior.
The couple, whose experiences inspired The Conjuring film franchise, also claimed that Annabelle was possessed by a demon — having stabbed a police officer, caused a priest’s car accident, and was eventually relocated to their Connecticut museum.
A psychic medium once claimed the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a deceased 6-year-old girl named Annabelle.
Rivera holding the allegedly cursed Annabelle doll. Dan Rivera / Facebook
Despite confirmation from state police on Wednesday that there was “nothing unusual or suspicious” at the scene, conspiracy theorists have tied Rivera’s sudden passing to the haunted relic.
The New England Society for Psychic Research has vowed to continue the supernatural tour in the wake of their lead investigator’s death.
“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,” tour organizers said in a statement.
“We will carry his spirit in everything we do.”
