(WAND) - A paranormal investigator who was handling a doll that has been rumored to be haunted has died.
54-year-old Dan Rivera, a handler of “Annabelle,” a doll that has been said to be possessed by evil spirits, died on July 13 in a Gettysburg, Pennsylvania hotel room.
Adams County Chief Deputy Coroner Scott Pennewill told TODAY.com, “His death was nothing suspicious. The coroner’s office and the state police were called to the scene on Sunday night ... he did go for an autopsy today and it’s pending.”
Pennewill said Rivera’s autopsy results will be available within 60 to 90 days.
Pennewill said the Annabelle doll was not present at the scene and that Rivera was found alone. He said Annabelle might have been inside a van in the hotel parking lot.
Rivera’s death was announced on Facebook by the “New England Society for Psychic Research."
“It’s with deep sadness that Tony, Wade, and I share the sudden passing of our close friend and partner, Dan Rivera,” read a Facebook post by the NESPR. “We are heartbroken and still processing this loss. Dan truly believed in sharing his experiences and educating people on the paranormal. His kindness and passion touched everyone who knew him. Thank you for your support and kind thoughts during this difficult time.”
Rivera was participating in the “Devils on the Run Tour” hosted by the NESPR, a Connecticut-based paranormal research group.
The group was founded by Tony Spera, the son-in-law of the late supernatural investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
The “Devils on the Run” tour was to celebrate the work of Ed and Lorraine Warren and display Annabelle “for those brave enough to face her.”
In 1968, the Warrens investigated the case of Annabelle, a Raggedy Ann doll given to a nursing student, who brought it home, where she lived with a roommate.
“Almost immediately, the roommates noticed strange occurrences with the doll and they were introduced to a medium who told them the doll was inhabited by the spirit of a young girl named Annabelle,” said the NESPR website. “The two roommates tried to accept the doll’s spirit and please it only to have it reciprocate maliciousness and violent intent.”
The Warrens claimed Annabelle was “demonically possessed." They took the doll away from the house and kept it in a glass box to "contain the evil spirited entity."
The Warrens were also involved in a 1971 haunting in Rhode Island that sparked the film series "The Conjuring."
Annabelle is normally kept in Connecticut in a display case at the Warren Occult Museum, which, according to NBC News, is “secured by crosses and holy water.”
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