Annabelle, The Doll – Fairfield County, Monroe, Connecticut
Tucked away in a locked glass case in a hidden room once belonging to famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, sits a doll so infamous, so feared, it’s said to be one of the most dangerously haunted objects in the world.
Her name is Annabelle — and contrary to what horror movies have shown, she is not porcelain. She is a floppy, soft-bodied Raggedy Ann doll — red yarn hair, wide stitched smile, innocent button eyes. And yet, it is precisely that contrast — the childlike innocence hiding what lies beneath — that makes her story so deeply unsettling.
Annabelle’s haunting began in the early 1970s, when two young women, Donna and Angie, shared a modest apartment while Donna was in nursing school. One day, Donna’s mother purchased the vintage Raggedy Ann doll from a hobby store and gifted it to her daughter. It was meant to be a cheerful presence, a nostalgic reminder of childhood.
But within days, things began to change.
Subtle Movements and Something Unseen
At first, it was small. The doll would be found in slightly different positions than where Donna had left her. Arms crossed, legs uncrossed, head turned. Then she began moving rooms entirely — from the couch to Donna’s bed, from the bedroom to the hallway. Notes started appearing on parchment paper that the girls didn’t own — small scraps written in a childlike hand that read “Help Us” or “Help Lou.”
Then came the red smears — appearing on the doll’s hands and chest as though she had touched something wet… or wounded.
Feeling unsettled, Donna reached out to a medium. During a séance, the spirit identified itself as a young girl named Annabelle Higgins, who had died tragically on the property years earlier. She claimed to be lonely. Lost. She said she liked Donna and Angie, and only wanted to stay near them.
Moved by the story, the girls agreed to let her spirit remain in the doll.
But they had made a terrible mistake.
The Attacks Begin
Lou, a friend of the girls, never trusted the doll. He warned Donna repeatedly that something was wrong. One night, Lou awoke in a cold sweat, unable to move, and saw the doll staring at him — hovering at the foot of his bed.
Then came the most terrifying moment. Lou entered the apartment one afternoon to find it empty and eerily silent. As he approached the doll, he felt a presence behind him. Spinning around, he found nothing — but then felt a searing pain across his chest. When he lifted his shirt, he discovered seven claw marks, three vertical and four horizontal, as though an invisible animal had torn into his flesh.
The scratches burned but healed unusually fast. Still, the message was clear: Annabelle was not an innocent spirit.
Enter the Warrens
Terrified, the girls finally contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous paranormal investigators known for their work on the Amityville case and dozens of other hauntings. After interviewing the girls and witnessing the phenomena for themselves, the Warrens concluded that the spirit inhabiting the doll was not a young girl at all — but a malevolent, demonic entity using the name “Annabelle” as a ruse to gain trust.
According to Ed Warren, the spirit was never human. It was inhuman — a demon seeking possession of a human host. The doll was simply a conduit. The invitation had been made during the séance, and the entity had been growing in strength ever since.
They performed a blessing on the apartment, but even transporting the doll back to their museum in Monroe proved harrowing. Ed reported that the car’s brakes failed repeatedly during the drive — only after sprinkling holy water on the doll did the malfunctions stop.
The Museum Warning
Once safely in their Occult Museum, the doll was placed inside a locked glass case with a sign reading:
“Warning: Positively Do Not Open.”
The case was blessed regularly by a priest. Yet even inside the museum, Annabelle’s energy remained active.
Visitors who mocked or challenged the doll were said to suffer tragic consequences. One young man allegedly taunted the doll, banging on the glass. He died in a motorcycle crash later that very day. Another visitor claimed to see the doll’s head turn slightly when no one else was looking.
Lorraine Warren, until her passing, claimed she would never look directly into the doll’s eyes.
What Remains Today
The Warren Occult Museum is no longer open to the public, but Annabelle remains locked inside — watched, contained, but not necessarily dormant.
Paranormal researchers often say that objects can hold energy, but in Annabelle’s case, it’s something more. She’s not a haunted doll. She’s a lure. A Trojan horse of innocence that conceals a darkness far more ancient than most can comprehend.
So if you ever see a Raggedy Ann doll in a thrift store, sitting upright when it shouldn't be…
Look twice.
And never say yes when something asks, “Can I stay?”
Address:
Warren Occult Museum (now closed)
30 Knollwood Street
Monroe, Connecticut 06468
Phone: N/A (museum closed to public)
The museum is no longer open to visitors. Do not attempt to access the location.
Annabelle remains secured and regularly blessed by clergy and Warren Foundation staff.