Was it Annabelle? Paranormal investigator Dan Rivera’s cause of death revealed; find out here

Nearly two months after his sudden passing, the cause of death for veteran ghost hunter Dan Rivera — best known as the handler of the infamous Annabelle doll — has been confirmed.

Rivera, 54, died from natural causes related to heart disease, according to county of Adams Coroner Francis Dutrow.

“Mr. Rivera had a known history of cardiac issues, which were consistent with the findings,” Dutrow told the Daily Mail. "It is also confirmed that Annabelle was not present in the room at the time of his passing.”


Rivera was in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 13 for his Devils on the Run tour when he was found unresponsive in his hotel room. The event, which featured the infamous doll being removed from its sealed case, had stirred controversy and sparked fan fears of a so-called Annabelle “curse.”

At the Gettysburg event, Rivera described how he built Annabelle’s protective case with wood stained in holy water and embedded with three crosses to symbolise the Holy Trinity. Despite the doll’s dark reputation, Rivera was known for his upbeat and engaging personality when sharing her story with audiences.

The Devils on the Run tour, launched in May, drew large crowds but also sharp criticism. Believers worried the doll’s dark energy would be unleashed, while skeptics accused Rivera’s team of exploiting superstition for profit. Panic escalated when attendees at one stop claimed the three-foot-tall doll briefly disappeared, followed by unrelated incidents in Louisiana — including a resort fire and a prison break — that some fans linked to Annabelle.

Rivera pushed back on the hysteria in a TikTok video, insisting the fears were overblown.

Annabelle first gained notoriety in the 1970s through paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Raggedy Ann doll was said to move on its own, leave frightening handwritten notes, and even attack a man. The Warrens concluded it was manipulated by a demonic entity and kept it locked in a glass case at their private occult museum, warning visitors never to touch it.

Beyond Annabelle, Rivera built a wide following as the lead investigator for the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR). He also appeared on shows like Most Haunted Places on the Travel Channel and helped produce Netflix’s 28 Days Haunted.