The Internet went berserk when it was reported that the ‘haunted’ Annabelle doll had gone missing. However, the speculations and panic come to an end as the doll has finally been located.
The rumors of the supposedly possessed Raggedy Ann doll spread as it was featured in a US tour called Devil on the Run. The exhibition’s mobility led to online speculation that the doll escaped during the tour. Some rumors claimed that Annabelle disappeared on its way to Chicago.
Internet users also started connecting the recent mishaps to the haunted doll, including the fire that destroyed the Nottoway Plantation on Annabelle’s visit. She was also blamed for the escape of 10 inmates from New Orleans prison.
An X user wrote, “Three days ago they moved Annabelle, one of the most haunted dolls from Monroe, Connecticut to New Orleans, Louisiana and now the largest sugarcane plantation in Louisiana burned down AND 11 inmates in a New Orleans Prison escape. Didn’t the Warren’s say she should never be moved.”
Three days ago they moved Annabelle, one of the most haunted dolls from Monroe, Connecticut to New Orleans, Louisiana and now the largest sugarcane plantation in Louisiana burned down AND 11 inmates in a New Orleans Prison escape. Didn’t the Warren’s say she should never be moved pic.twitter.com/6FFKbFAmt7
— 𝐀𝐮𝐫𝐚 🕸️ O⅃O (𝟐𝟐-𝟐) (@Tosen_Kaname_) May 19, 2025
As the conspiracy theories intensified and created real panic among people, Dan Rivera, the lead investigator of NESPR (New England Society for Psychic Research), came forward to clear the air. He posted a video on TikTok and clarified that the doll never went missing and that it never left its secured wooden case.
Rivera said in the video, “I’m here at the museum right now, and I just wanna show you guys that Annabelle is in the Warrens’ Occult Museum. Let’s go inside and let’s check.”
“Annabelle is not missing. She is not in Chicago. She has never been missing,” he added.
However, he confirmed the plans for the haunted doll to appear on the upcoming tour, which he informed will take place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in July and at the 2025 Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo in Rock Island, Illinois, on October 4.
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This isn’t the first time rumors of Annabelle going missing have created panic. In 2020, when the rumors of its disappearance went viral, Tony Spera, Warrens’ son-in-law posted a video denying the gossip with a touch of humor.
Tony said, “I’m here to tell you something, I don’t know if you want to hear this or not, but Annabelle did not escape. Annabelle’s here. She didn’t go anywhere. She didn’t take a trip. She didn’t fly first class and she didn’t go out to visit her boyfriend.”
Showing Annabelle in her glass case, he said, “So here she is. Let’s put the rumor to rest, guys. I appreciate all the concern. I’d be concerned if Annabelle did leave because she’s nothing to play with.”
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The doll, which also inspired a Hollywood film franchise, is linked to the 1970s paranormal case investigated by ghost hunters, Ed and Lorraine Warren, founders of Warrens’ Occult Museum. During their investigation into some haunting incidents, it was concluded that the doll is manipulated by a demonic presence. Even after the investigators took possession of the doll, there were eerie incidents. The Warrens’ Occult Museum, where the doll is placed, is closed since 2019 after the death of Lorraine. Ed had already passed away in 2006.
Their collections are now taken care by NESPR where Tony Spera, the son-in-law of Warrens, serves as a director. Spera told The Independent that the purpose to take the haunted doll on tours is “to allow paranormal enthusiasts to witness the infamous doll in person, to visually show that evil exists. And the devil exists.”
