Annabelle
Screenshot from Sam and Colby YouTube Channel

On 25 May 2025, rumours that the infamous haunted doll Annabelle had gone missing began circulating widely on social media. The speculation erupted when attendees at a paranormal event in Louisiana noticed the doll was not part of the expected exhibit. Within hours, the hashtag #AnnabelleMissing was trending, accompanied by conspiracy theories and escalating panic among supernatural enthusiasts.

The claims were sparked during the 'Devils on the Run' tour, a paranormal festival held in White Castle, where Annabelle was reportedly meant to appear. Adding fuel to the fire, a blaze broke out at the nearby Nottoway Plantation, further intensifying suspicion that something sinister was at play. Many users on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) began linking the two incidents, prompting a swift response from paranormal experts.

Viral Panic Meets a Calm Rebuttal

Amid the online storm, Dan Rivera, a lead investigator with the New England Society for Psychic Research (NESPR), stepped in to set the record straight. In a TikTok video posted later that day, Rivera showed footage of the real Annabelle doll locked safely behind her glass case at the Warrens' Occult Museum in Monroe, Connecticut.

'Annabelle is not missing,' he said plainly. 'She hasn't left, she's not in Louisiana or Chicago, and she definitely wasn't at the Nottoway Plantation.' His message was clear: the doll had not moved from her secure location and had not been scheduled to appear at the Louisiana event in the first place.

The Power of Social Media Misinformation

The incident is not without precedent. In 2020, similar claims that Annabelle had escaped from her case went viral, only to be debunked within hours. Paranormal experts, including Rivera and NESPR, now regularly monitor online chatter to counter such claims quickly and prevent unnecessary panic.

Although the Warrens' Occult Museum has been closed to the public for years due to zoning restrictions, Rivera confirmed that Annabelle is occasionally displayed at verified events with strict handling protocols. One such upcoming appearance is scheduled for the Rock Island Roadhouse Esoteric Expo in Illinois on 4 October 2025.

The Doll Behind the Myth

Contrary to her terrifying cinematic portrayal, the real Annabelle is not a porcelain figure but a large Raggedy Ann doll. In 1970, a student nurse was gifted the doll by her mother. Shortly after, she and her flatmate began experiencing what they believed were paranormal disturbances. Concerned, they reached out to Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famed husband-and-wife investigators, who concluded the doll was possessed by a malevolent spirit.

The Warrens claimed the spirit used the doll as a conduit and posed a serious threat to its owners. As a result, they removed Annabelle from the home and placed her in a blessed, sealed glass case inside their museum, a practice they maintained until their deaths.

A Symbol of Modern-Day Folklore

Annabelle's legend has taken on a life of its own. Since the release of The Conjuring franchise, including three films bearing her name, she has become a mainstay of paranormal pop culture. While many remain sceptical of her reputation, her continued allure highlights society's fascination with the supernatural and the blurred lines between folklore, media, and belief.

The recent fire at Nottoway and Annabelle's rumoured disappearance were almost too convenient a pairing for the internet to ignore. But as experts point out, coincidence is not causation and viral panic can spread faster than fire.

Annabelle is not missing, stolen, or unaccounted for. As confirmed by Dan Rivera and NESPR, she remains securely enclosed at the Warrens' Occult Museum exactly where she's been for years. While stories of haunted dolls may entertain and unsettle, it's important to separate fiction from fact.