Dan Rivera, a renowned paranormal investigator and U.S. Army veteran, died suddenly Sunday night while on tour with the infamous haunted Annabelle doll, according to a statement from the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR).
Rivera, 54, was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, as part of the sold-out “Devils on the Run Tour” when emergency responders were called to his hotel room. Despite efforts to revive him with CPR, he was pronounced dead at the scene. The exact cause of his death has not yet been confirmed.
Rivera served as the lead investigator for NESPR and was a familiar face in the paranormal community. He had appeared on the Travel Channel’s Most Haunted Places and produced several other shows, including Netflix’s 28 Days Haunted.
As part of the tour, Rivera and other NESPR members were showcasing the Annabelle doll—made infamous by paranormal legends and connected to multiple alleged hauntings since the 1970s. The doll, a Raggedy Ann figure, was said to have moved on its own and exhibited violent and disturbing behavior, according to Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famed paranormal investigators who originally took possession of it.
Rivera had just completed a three-day stop in Gettysburg at the historic Soldiers National Orphanage, hosted by Ghostly Images of Gettysburg Tours. He frequently used social media, including TikTok, to promote the tour and educate a wider audience on the Warren legacy.
Fellow investigator Ryan Buell paid tribute to Rivera in a heartfelt TikTok video, saying, “I have so many amazing memories with this guy. Just two months ago, we were on the road introducing a new generation to Ed and Lorraine Warren’s legacy.”
Rivera is survived by his wife, Sarah, and four children.
