The national tour showcasing the infamous Annabelle doll — the real-life inspiration behind The Conjuring film franchise — has entered a period of uncertainty following the unexpected death of Dan Rivera, a prominent paranormal investigator and the tour’s lead figure. His passing has shaken the esoteric community and sparked growing calls to cancel the event, amid fears that the doll may pose a genuine and uncontrollable threat.
Rivera, 54, a military veteran, served as the lead investigator for the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), the organization founded by renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. On July 16, NESPR publicly confirmed Rivera’s “sudden” death, which occurred days earlier on Sunday, July 13, during a tour stop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
At the time, Rivera was leading the Devils on the Run Tour, featuring the original Raggedy Ann doll — better known as Annabelle — alongside other allegedly haunted artifacts. According to The Guardian, Rivera was found unresponsive in his hotel room. Emergency services responded after receiving a report that CPR was being performed. Adams County coroner Francis Dutrow stated that the cause of death has not yet been officially determined, and there is no evidence of foul play.
The news has reignited tensions within the paranormal community. One of the first to speak out was Philip Siracusa, former owner of a reportedly haunted house in New Jersey and a close friend of Rivera since 2020. In statements to TMZ, Siracusa claimed that Rivera’s death is directly connected to the doll.
“Dan was a great guy. My family and I are heartbroken,” he said. “He had authority over forces we don’t understand. In my view, this tour is a mistake. Ed and Lorraine Warren were right — that doll is possessed. Sometimes the smartest thing to do is leave things alone.”
Siracusa also warned that the spirit allegedly attached to Annabelle cannot truly be contained. “Energy is intangible. It passes right through. So what are you actually confining? Nothing. It’s all in our minds. But does that really contain a spirit? The spirit just goes for a ride.”
Annabelle was acquired by the Warrens in 1970 in Connecticut and, according to their accounts, was linked to various paranormal phenomena: unexplained movements, eerie messages, and physical attacks known as “psychic scratches.” As a result, she was kept sealed in a glass case at the Warrens’ occult museum in Monroe, which was later shut down due to zoning violations.
After the museum’s closure, Rivera and his team made the controversial decision to take Annabelle on tour across the United States — a move that quickly drew criticism, even from within the Warren family.
Chris McKinnell, grandson of Ed and Lorraine and a fellow investigator, strongly opposed the decision. “My grandmother, Lorraine Warren, never wanted Annabelle to go on tour,” he wrote on social media. “She only allowed brief visits to the museum — never a national tour. And now they’re letting people touch her case, without protection. They claim this is what my grandparents would have wanted. It’s not. My grandfather’s warning still stands: ‘Do not open it.’”
McKinnell concluded with a chilling warning: “If they keep doing this without understanding what they’re handling, someone is going to get seriously hurt.”
Despite growing backlash and the leadership void left by Rivera, NESPR announced its intention to continue with scheduled events. “We wholeheartedly believe Dan would have wanted the work to go on — bringing people together, sharing knowledge, and honoring the legacy of Ed and Lorraine Warren,” the organization said in an official statement.
For now, the future of the tour remains uncertain, as the mystery and controversy surrounding Annabelle once again take center stage.
