Friends of paranormal investigator Dan Rivera have slammed trolls linking his death to a “haunted” Annabelle doll with which he was on tour — as it was announced that the preplanned shows will go ahead.
Rivera, 54, died suddenly Sunday at a hotel in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, hours after finishing a three-day run of his “Devils on the Run Tour” with the Raggedy Ann doll, Annabelle.
State police told the Evening Sun that “nothing unusual or suspicious was observed at the scene” — but that hasn’t stopped people linking it with the doll and rumors that it’s cursed.
Paranormal investigator Dan Rivera died suddenly at the age of 54. Instagram/@dan_rivera_nespr
He was on tour with Annabelle, the supposedly haunted Raggedy Ann doll. Facebook/Dan Rivera“That needs to stop,” SyFy’s “Ghost Hunters” star Jason Hawes wrote on Facebook of those linking the tragedy to the doll.
“His family shouldn’t have to read that kind of nonsense while they’re grieving. Honor the man. Forget the garbage.”
He added, “Recently, the world lost a good man. Dan Rivera was an Army veteran, a father of four, a husband, and someone who truly cared about people.”
The New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), meanwhile, announced that the tour would continue after the sudden death of its chief investigator.
“We believe with all our hearts that Dan would have wanted the work to continue — bringing people together, sharing knowledge, and honoring the memory of Ed and Lorraine Warren,” the statement read.
“We will carry his spirit in everything we do.”
Rivera had just completed a three-day sold-out run in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, when he died. Hanover Evening Sun-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn images
He is survived by his wife and four children. Facebook/Sarah Bond RiveraThe group called Rivera “a father, a devoted husband, and loyal friend, someone who meant the world to those closest to him.”
The NESPR was founded in 1952 by famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
