Dan Rivera, a well-known, respected, and loved member of the paranormal community passed away unexpectedly at the age of 54 on the final night of a paranormal event held in Gettysburg, PA. The outpouring of appreciation for Dan as a paranormal educator, guide, enthusiast, investigator and friend has been flooding the social feeds in the aftermath of the tragedy. The casual fan base can't help but speculate on the coincidence that maybe bringing the most haunted doll in America to the most haunted place in PA wasn't the wisest of choices. Dan was found in his hotel room, and officials stated that his death did not appear suspicious.
Dan worked for the New England Society for Psychic Research, an organization founded by the late, infamous paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Devils on the Run Tour featured haunted relics from the Warren's Occult Museum, including Annabelle, and aimed to educate tour goers on Ed and Lorraine's legacy and contributions to paranormal research. According to fellow paranormal investigator Ryan Buell, Dan also worked privately to assist those being haunted in the same way the Warren's did. April Busset, the creator at Ghosted Magazine, beautifully expressed that Dan is still "bringing peace to wandering souls, just from the other side now."
Grief is weird, and I hope those who were close to Dan can appreciate the novelty of the situation at hand in terms of what may be perceived as insensitive content surrounding his passing. Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, the coincidence of it all is hard to dismiss. Here are the pieces of the story that bring in the creep factor.
Local news sources announce Annabelle's upcoming arrival
In late May, news sources local to the Gettysburg area began announcing the upcoming arrival of the infamous Annabelle. The haunted doll, who gained popularity through The Conjuring universe, earned her own self-titled film and two sequels. Surrounding residents buzzed with excitement and skepticism, reminding each other that Lorraine instructed that Annabelle must never leave the Warren's Occult Museum in Connecticut.
Annabelle Goes Missing
Shortly after it was announced that Annabelle would be in Gettysburg as part of the Devils on the Run Tour, rumors spread online like wildfire that the doll was missing. Fortunately, the New England Society for Psychic Research disproved the rumor, putting everyone at ease that Annabelle was home, locked safely away at the museum. For now.
Annabelle Arrives in Gettysburg
It's reported that Annabelle arrived in Gettysburg on July 11 and was placed on display at the Soldiers' Orphans' Homestead, a historic building rife with its own dark and haunted history. Locals' socials were abuzz trying to link anything seemingly weird happening in the area to Annabelle all weekend, but no one could deny that stumbling across the TikTok showing everyone at the event receiving the statewide alert regarding 911 outages on day two wasn't entertaining, if not a little creepy. The final day of Annabelle being on display did not lend to any further conspiracies.
The New England Society for Psychic Research released it's official press statement last night.