A New England-based paranormal investigator died over the weekend while on tour with the infamous “Annabelle” doll — a supposedly haunted Raggedy Ann toy featured in “The Conjuring” horror movie series.
Bridgeport, Connecticut, native Dan Rivera — the New England Society for Psychic Research’s (NESPR) senior lead investigator — died suddenly at age 54 on Sunday, according to NESPR. He was on tour for an event showcasing Annabelle in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at the time, but it is unclear exactly how he died.
“Dan was not only a vital part of our team for over a decade, but also a deeply compassionate, loyal, and dedicated friend,” NESPR wrote in a statement Tuesday night.
Rivera’s cause of death is still being determined by the local coroner’s office, but he is not believed to have died under suspicious circumstances, the Evening Sun reported. The coroner’s office told the newspaper he was found alone in his hotel room.
On tour with Annabelle
An Evening Sun reporter attended the sold-out event Rivera was helping lead in Gettysburg on Saturday, the newspaper reported. The reporter described him as being charismatic and full of jokes while showcasing Annabelle to attendees.
The event was part of the nationwide “Devils on the Run” tour in which NESPR members were sharing the doll with fans. The Connecticut-based paranormal society doesn’t know “what the future of NESPR will look like without Dan,” but plans to move forward with the other events it previously scheduled for later in the year, NESPR said Tuesday.
“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 & Lorraine Warren,“ NESPR wrote. ”We will carry his spirit with us in everything we do.”
NESPR and Annabelle
NESPR was founded by controversial, self-described demon-hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren. The now-deceased, Monroe, Connecticut, couple are the main characters in “The Conjuring” movie series and were Annabelle’s longtime caretakers.
The Warrens were called in to investigate the antique doll in 1968 after a student nurse — who’d received Annabelle as a gift — noticed “strange occurrences” involving the doll, according to NESPR‘s website. A medium later told the student and her roommate that the Raggedy Ann toy was possessed by a young girl named Annabelle.
The two women tried to appease Annabelle, but the doll responded only with “maliciousness and violent intent,” according to NESPR’s website. The Warrens eventually took Annabelle to their Monroe, Connecticut, occult museum and put her in a glass box “to contain the evil spirited entity.”
The doll was showcased there for decades until the museum closed in 2019 due to zoning issues, according to The Monroe Sun. NESPR members have remained Annabelle’s keepers since that time.
Dan Rivera’s life
Rivera became interested in the paranormal at a young age after experiencing supernatural phenomena in his childhood home, according to NESPR’s website. He had over a decade of experience with paranormal investigations when he died.
According to NESPR, Rivera was also a father, a “devoted husband” and “an expert in the rites and rituals” of Santeria — an Afro-Caribbean religion that blends aspects of Catholicism and Spiritism.
“A U.S. Army veteran, Dan served both his country and the people around him. He worked closely with Lorraine Warren and remained by her side even as her health declined, always offering a steady hand and unwavering support,” the paranormal society wrote in its Tuesday press release.
Rivera’s “integrity, creativity, and generosity defined him,” NESPR wrote. Fellow paranormal investigator Ryan Buell described him as “a dreamer, with big, bold (and sometimes ballsy) ideas” in a tribute Facebook post on Monday.
“When I got clean and entered recovery and decided to show my face again, hardly anyone wanted anything to do with me. But Dan believed in me. He wanted me to “come back home,” to return to being a part of NESPR and the Warrens family,“ Buell wrote. ”He believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself. That’s who he was.”
Throughout his career as a paranormal investigator, Rivera worked on many TV shows about supernatural phenomena, including Netflix’s “28 Days Haunted,” according to his IMDB page. Outside of the limelight, he privately helped families who believed they were dealing with hauntings, Buell said.
NESPR ended its release with a quote from Rivera:
“In life, we leave a piece of ourselves with loved ones and friends on our journey until there are no more pieces to give away. You would think that is the end, but when you look back at all the pieces you gave away, those pieces will always be remembered. So, I say I will never die. My journey has only begun.”
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