It was a normal Sunday morning in Gettysburg until it wasn't. On July 13, 2025, the paranormal world lost one of its most dedicated figures when Dan Rivera was found dead in his hotel room. He was 54.
At the time, Rivera was the senior lead investigator for the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR). This is the same organization founded by the legendary Ed and Lorraine Warren. You’ve probably seen the movies. The Conjuring. Annabelle. These aren't just Hollywood scripts to the people in this circle; they are the legacy Dan Rivera spent over a decade protecting and explaining to the public.
He wasn't just some guy with a flashlight. Dan was a U.S. Army veteran born and raised in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He grew up seeing things—witnessing hauntings in his own childhood home—which is basically the origin story for every serious investigator. By the time he reached the top of the NESPR ranks, he was an expert in the rites and rituals of Santeria and a trusted handler of the world’s most famous "possessed" object: the Annabelle doll.
The Annabelle Tour and the Final Days
Rivera was in Pennsylvania for the Devils on the Run tour. This wasn't some local ghost walk. It was a high-profile, national tour showcasing artifacts from the Warrens' Occult Museum.
The centerpiece? Annabelle. The doll is a Raggedy Ann that the Warrens claimed was inhabited by a demonic spirit. It usually stays locked in a glass case with a "Warning: Do Not Open" sign. But Rivera and the team, including Tony Spera (the Warrens' son-in-law), were taking it on the road to educate people.
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Dan was the face of the tour on social media. He co-produced TikToks about the doll that racked up millions of views. He was good at it. He knew how to bridge the gap between old-school psychic research and the 24-hour digital news cycle.
Then came the hotel room in Straban Township.
His coworkers found him when he didn't show up for the day's events. Naturally, the internet went into a complete meltdown. When a guy who handles a "cursed" doll dies suddenly in a hotel room in one of America's most haunted cities, the conspiracy theories write themselves.
Separating Fact from Ghost Stories
Let’s get real for a second about the "curse" talk.
The Pennsylvania State Police investigated. The Adams County Coroner was involved. Their official finding? Natural causes. There was nothing suspicious at the scene. No foul play. No "demonic" fingerprints.
Honestly, the "Annabelle killed him" narrative is exactly the kind of thing Dan Rivera probably would have spent his time debunking while still respecting the mystery. He was a practitioner of Santeria and a mentee of Lorraine Warren herself. She made him promise to keep the work going, to keep helping families who were scared of things they couldn't see.
- Career highlight: Served as a consulting producer on the Netflix series 28 Days Haunted.
- The methodology: He didn't just hunt ghosts; he focused on "human interest" and helping families find peace.
- The legacy: He spent over 10 years with NESPR, becoming a bridge between the Warren era and the modern paranormal community.
People who knew him talk about his kindness more than his gear. He wasn't just a "ghost hunter" for the cameras. He was a father and a husband who happened to have a very strange day job.
Why Dan Rivera Still Matters to the Community
The paranormal field is full of "clout chasers." You see them on YouTube every night screaming at shadows. Rivera was different because he had the pedigree. Being hand-picked by the Warrens carries weight in that world.
He didn't treat the artifacts like toys. He viewed them as tools for education. He believed that by showing people the "darkness," he was actually teaching them about the "light"—basically the core philosophy Ed and Lorraine preached for decades.
His death left a massive hole in the New England Society for Psychic Research. They’ve had to navigate the "Devils on the Run" tour without their lead promoter and one of their most experienced tactical investigators.
If you’re looking to follow in his footsteps or understand his work, you have to look past the "demon hunter" labels.
What to do next if you're interested in Rivera's work:
- Watch 28 Days Haunted on Netflix: You can see his influence in the production and how the "Warren Method" is applied to modern investigations.
- Check the NESPR archives: The society still operates and maintains the records Rivera helped curate.
- Study the history of the Warrens: To understand Dan, you have to understand the people who trained him. He was a traditionalist in a digital world.
Dan Rivera's story is a reminder that the people behind the "ghost hunter" titles are often just veterans, fathers, and researchers trying to make sense of the things that go bump in the night. He died doing the work he loved, in a place steeped in history, leaving behind a legacy that even the most skeptical observer has to respect.