Where is Annabelle doll now? She’s reportedly caused one death

The real Annabelle doll bears no resemblance to the doll you’ve likely seen in The Conjuring Universe. Anabelle in the horror films is infinitely more unsettling than the Raggedy Ann doll that sparked the Annabelle story. The murderous Anabelle, made from porcelain, has a piercing, unblinking gaze and a sinister smile. 

On the other hand, the Raggedy Ann doll has warm colors, big, beautiful eyes, a welcoming smile, a mop of red hair, and a fluffy body that you’d just want to cuddle. However, the legend surrounding the doll is rather disturbing. 

The Annabelle doll has stayed in the Warrens’ Occult museum since Ed, and Lorraine Warren acquired it from the first owners. 

Ed and Lorraine constructed a glass and wooden case to trap the doll and the evil spirit that possessed it. The pair inscribed Saint Michael’s Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer on the box. Furthermore, Ed would periodically pray over the case to keep the evil inside. 

After Ed passed away in 2006, he entrusted his son-in-law, Tony Spera, with the Occult Museum and instructed Spera to continue his work. Aware of the doll’s power, Tony hasn’t tampered with Annabelle’s case, leaving everything as it was, including the warning: Positively, Do Not Open. 

“Is it dangerous?” Spera once said. “Yes. Is it the most dangerous object in the museum? Yes.”

In August 2020, a rumor claiming Annabelle had escaped spread on the internet like wildfire. Tony Spera responded via a YouTube video stating that Annabelle was still in the museum, ‘in all her infamous glory.’ With Annabelle behind him, staring into the camera, Spera said:

“She never left the museum. Remember, I have high-tech security here. If she had left the museum, I’d instantly know if something happened or somebody broke in. I have good alarm systems here and the police are very good to respond. They respond within a couple of minutes, maybe, if that.”

Spera’s announcement also featured some welcome humor. “She didn’t take a trip. She didn’t fly first class and she didn’t go out to visit her boyfriend,” he said. 

Tony added that he appreciated the concern and warned anyone planning to steal Annabelle. “I’d be concerned if Annabelle really did leave because she’s nothing to play with,” he added. 

Unfortunately, the Warrens’ Occult museum closed permanently from the world, shielding Annabelle from curious eyes.

Ed and Lorraine Warren claimed that Annabelle tried to kill them shortly after taking her. The Warrens alleged that the brakes failed several times on the way home, almost causing fatal crashes. The issue ended after Ed sprayed the doll with Holy Water. 

A priest allegedly picked Annabelle and mocked her famed demonic power. On his way home, the priest almost died in a deadly crash that destroyed his car. The priest reported seeing Annabelle in his mirrors moments before the accident. 

Another museum visitor reportedly laughed at Annabelle’s supposed evil powers. As he headed home, he crashed his motorbike into a tree and passed away. The visitor’s passenger and girlfriend barely survived the crash. Allegedly, the couple were laughing about the doll before the accident. 

The Warrens told the above stories on multiple occasions through the decades. However, they never corroborated the accounts; for instance, the couple never divulged the priest and motorcyclists’ identities.

Annabelle’s original owner was a nurse named Donna; she received the doll from her mother for her 28th birthday. Donna shared Annabelle with her roommate, another nurse named Angie. 

Before long, the pair started noticing that Annabelle had moved around the house independently. They would leave her in the sitting room and find her in the bedroom hours later. Donna and Angie would later discover mysterious notes saying, ‘Help Me.’ 

Lou, Donna’s boyfriend, then had a terrifying encounter with Annabelle. He claimed that he found Annabelle lying face down after responding to rustling in Donna’s bedroom. Lou suddenly faced searing pain on his chest, and upon inspection, he discovered bloody scratch marks on his upper torso. 

A couple of days later, the scratches disappeared. Donna and Angie responded by inviting a medium to diagnose the problem. The medium said that the spirit of a deceased girl named Annabelle Higgins, a girl buried on the apartment’s building site, had possessed the doll.

The medium claimed that the spirit wanted love and care. Out of mercy for the dead girl, Angie and Donna allowed her to stay in the doll and resolved to care for her. 

The roommates contacted a priest named Father Hegan, who alerted his superior, Father Cooke. Father Cooke then notified the Warrens. 

Ed and Lorraine dismissed the notion that the spirit in the doll was friendly. They claimed that Annabelle had taken temporary refuge in the doll as she searched for a suitable human host to possess. The Warrens ordered an exorcism of the apartment before taking Annabelle away.