Dan Rivera, 54, an Army veteran and caretaker of the Annabelle doll, wrapped up his “Devils on the Run Tour” in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Hours later, on July 13, 2025, he was found dead in his hotel room.
For weeks, the idea circulated that the doll, a symbol of terror since The Conjuring films, had something to do with it. But Adams County coroner Francis Dutrow put that theory to rest on September 4: the death was natural, the result of heart problems Rivera already had before the trip. And there is one detail that completely extinguishes the legend: Annabelle was not even in the room that night.
Rivera had spent years investigating the paranormal with the New England Society for Psychic Research, founded by Ed and Lorraine Warren, and had appeared in productions such as Netflix’s ’28 Days Haunted.’ After his death, comedian Matt Rife became the new owner of the museum in Connecticut where the doll remains. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the true one, even if the story cries out for something darker.
