Dan Rivera, a paranormal investigator who worked with the Annabelle doll and was touring with it over the weekend, has died.
Rivera was the senior lead investigator for the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), an organization formed by Monroe paranormal researchers Ed and Lorraine Warren in 1952.
He was found dead in his Gettysburg hotel room on Sunday, July 13, Adams County Coroner Francis Dutrow confirmed to the Evening Sun, a local news outlet in Pennsylvania. Coroner’s office personnel told the Evening Sun that his death “did not appear suspicious” and that autopsy results are pending.
A police report obtained by CT Insider details that Pennsylvania State Police responded to a hotel for a report of a deceased person. The police report notes that the deceased was “discovered in his room by coworkers” and that “nothing unusual or suspicious was observed at the scene.”
“Dan was not only a vital part of our team for over a decade, but also a deeply compassionate, loyal and dedicated friend,” a release from the group said.
Rivera was an Army veteran, the group said.
“Dan’s passion for the paranormal was rooted in a genuine desire to educate, help and connect with others — whether through social media, conventions or investigations with local families seeking understanding and peace,” the release reads, additionally asking for privacy at this time.
The release did not provide further details about his death.
In the release, the organization confirmed that it plans to move forward with previously scheduled events for this year. Other events scheduled for this year include the Maine Paranormal and Horror Convention from Sept. 6-7, and Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo in Illinois and Scarefest in Kentucky in October.
According to Tony Spera, co-director of NESPR, curator of Warrens’ Occult Museum and son-in-law of the Warrens, Rivera was a “true friend and business partner.”
“He loved his family and his friends. He worked tirelessly in an effort to help those in need. He’d give you the shirt off his back,” Spera said in a statement provided to CT Insider. “He will be truly missed.”
Rivera was born and raised in Bridgeport, according to a bio on the group’s website. It said he encountered “haunting phenomena” at a young age “having witnessed paranormal events occurring in his home.”
He was also an expert “in the rites and rituals of Santeria,” his bio states.
Rivera was touring with Annabelle, the allegedly “haunted” doll featured in “The Conjuring” movie series, for the “Devil’s on the Run” tour last weekend in Gettysburg, Pa., according to Facebook posts from the group.
The Annabelle doll was given as a gift to a Hartford nurse in 1970. Once she brought it home, she and her roommates reported unexplained behavior coming from the toy, according to NESPR. It was said to have moved on its own, and in one instance, allegedly “attacked” the fiancé of one of the owners.
The Warrens were called in to investigate, and they claimed that the doll was being manipulated by the spirit of an outside entity. After an exorcism at the apartment, the couple agreed to take the doll. The doll remains in the care of the museum, where it is behind a locked case with a sign made by Ed Warren that reads “positively do not open.”
