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The Untold Story Of The Demonic Annabelle Doll - Connecticut (CT) · Mystery Archives Episodes

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When a young woman receives a birthday gift of a doll from her
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mother, she is first elated believing it to make a wonderful
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companion. But when the doll begins to move
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on its own, it soon reveals its malevolent nature.
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It will take the expertise of renowned demonologists and
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priests to help free them from the entity that now infests
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their lives. Well, they make it out alive
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before it's too late. This is the untold story of
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Annabelle, the demonic doll of Connecticut.
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And this story just may make you think twice about your
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keepsakes. Our story begins in 197025 year
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old Deirdre Bernard has recently moved in her first apartment
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with her two friends, an engaged couple named Laura Clifton and
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Cal Rendell. Her mother had bought her a gift
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for her birthday and hoped that it would keep her daughter's
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spirits up and spread joy to her new home as she pursued her
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education and nursing. Deirdre loved the gift, finding
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its rosy red cheeks with hair to match to be a fun companion for
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her new journey in life. Shortly after admiring her new
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doll, she placed it on her bed with its arms and legs out for
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the next several days. It became routine for Deirdre to
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come home from her studies, spend time with the doll, and
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then place her back in the exact same position with its arms and
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legs out on her bed. Oddly, however, after the first
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several days of this new routine, the young woman began
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to notice that something wasn't quite right.
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Every morning she would lay her doll back on her bed before
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heading to school with its arms and legs stretched out.
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Yet every night upon her return, she would find the doll in
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different positions. Sometimes the dolls legs would
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be crossed and other times its arms.
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And as the days went on, it would even start to be seen in
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different parts of her room, oftentimes with its arms pointed
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outward. But Deirdre's room would not be
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its only occupied space. The doll would begin to be found
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in various positions all over the apartment, and Deirdre
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wasn't the only person who was witnessing these bizarre
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manifestations. Her two roommates would seem to
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bear witness to them as well. One evening, Deirdre returned
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home with her roommate Laura, who was also a trainee nurse at
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the time, and her fiance, Cow. Upon opening the door to their
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apartment, they would find the dog kneeling before them in a
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chair facing the door, as if it had been waiting for them to
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return. This not only scared everyone,
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but especially Deirdre, because she knew for a fact that as per
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her routine that she had placed the doll on her bed that very
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morning it had inexplicably moved on its own.
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To try and make sense of all this, they moved the doll and
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then tried to reposition it back into its original kneeling
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stance, the same one they had seen when initially walking
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through the door. But each time they tried to
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replicate the position. Due to the design of the doll,
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this proved impossible. The movement of the doll as well
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as its position now left the trio at a loss for words.
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The only conclusion they could draw from the situation was that
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some kind of force was manipulating the doll.
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Deirdre would place the doll back in its normal position on
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her bed for the night, but this experience would be far from the
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last for all of them. Just several days following the
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previously mentioned happening, a new phenomenon began to
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manifest. Little notes written in pencil
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on parchment paper began to be found randomly throughout the
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apartment and at random times. The messages included such
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phrases as help us or help Cal. But despite the messages urgent
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requests for help, no one was able to figure out just what
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they were referring to because none of them were experiencing
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an urgent situation, including Cal.
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And weirder still, none of them kept parchment paper or pencils.
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This realization just further deepened the mystery that was
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now unfolding before their very eyes.
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At first, they believed that possibly someone was breaking
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into their apartment to play pranks on them.
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So in order to check if this indeed was the case, Deirdre and
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Laura began leaving marks around the windows and doors, marks
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that, if disturbed, would show later on.
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They also rearranged their furniture in an effort to ensure
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that if anyone was entering their apartment unannounced that
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they would leave a trace. But again, later that night,
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upon their return from their studies, none of the furniture
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had been disturbed, nor had any of their marks.
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Yet the doll had moved rooms. Frightened and perplexed at this
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point, the trio tried to come up with some potential solutions,
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but as they individually gave them thought day in and day out,
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the doll would continue to move on its own accord, positions and
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places. One day the three would return
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yet again, as per their routine to find the doll yet again and
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another part of the apartment. But this time there was
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something different. This time they found it sat with
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some kind of liquid on its hands.
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Upon a closer look, they were even more frightened, because
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the liquid appeared to be blood. And this blood was all over the
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doll's hands, as well as three distinct dots of blood were also
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on its chest. Terrified, the three sat in the
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living room and tried to figure out some kind of game plan on
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how to handle the paranormal situation they found themselves
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in. Deidre would grab a phone book
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from the cupboard and begin flicking through the pages as
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the group talked, one of her fingers would finally rest on a
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psychic mediums number. During the brief call, they
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would explain that they had been experiencing ghostly type
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activity within their apartment, but they did not inform her
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about the dolls specifically. She would arrive the following
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day to see what she could do to help.
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As she walked through the apartment, she began to explain
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to Laura and Deirdre about the spirit she felt had inhabited
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the building. The ladies would eventually make
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their way to Deirdre's room where the doll currently sat.
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They asked what the medium felt in regards to the doll.
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Upon examining it, she said she felt a strong presence
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surrounding the object, but informed the two that she would
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need to conduct a seance around it in order to discover more
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information. So a seance was agreed to.
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As the ritual was conducted around the doll, the medium
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began to divulge information to Laura and Deirdre.
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She claimed that she had channeled the spirit of a 7 year
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old little girl named Annabelle Higgins.
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She said that Annabelle used to play in the area long before the
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houses and apartment buildings were there, back when all that
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existed were fields. Many innocent and happy hours
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were passed here until suddenly they ended.
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Annabelle was confused as to what had happened to her, to
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which the medium interpreted to be her death.
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And since her death, the child had wandered the place she was
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the happiest the fields. Once the apartments were built
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upon them, the halls quickly became a lonely place for her to
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haunt, with the lifestyles of most modern people requiring
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work most of the time. This meant that Annabelle had no
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one to play with. But then one day, two young
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women brought with them a playful looking doll.
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Finally she had something to play with again, and more so she
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had the comfort of two young women who she believed would be
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more empathetic and accepting of her and would allow her to play
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with them through the vessel of the medium.
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Annabel would ask if she could live in the doll and be with
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Deirdre and Laura. Touched by the young girl's
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story, the two women agreed and following the seance, they would
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name the doll Annabelle and the young girl's honor.
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A truly nice gesture from the two of them.
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However, upon agreeing to have Annabelle inhabit the doll and
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stay with them is when the haunting truly began.
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Convinced now that they were sharing a space with Annabelle,
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they began to treat the doll as a living, breathing person.
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It was no longer a lifeless toy, but the young and lonely little
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girl, regardless of the two ladies.
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Compassion Cow was not so convinced.
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He sensed that something was very off in regards to this
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entire situation and believed that no good would come of it.
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He thought the doll could possibly be some kind of
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trickster or a conduit that disguised its true intentions,
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and in time, perhaps he was right.
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In the weeks following the seance, Cow began to feel ill at
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most times of the day with no rational origin, and at night
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every night, he began to have horrible nightmares.
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These experiences culminated with Cow waking up one night to
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find Annabelle gliding over his body.
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Before he could react, the doll's hands were on either side
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of his neck, strangling him. It's large void like eyes
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staring into his as it sought to steal his life.
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In a later interview, Cow would describe the event like this.
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While I was lying there, I suddenly woke up and something
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seemed wrong to me. I looked around the room, but
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nothing was out of place. But then I looked down towards
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my feet and I saw the rag doll, Annabelle.
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It was slowly gliding up my body.
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It moved over my chest and stopped.
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Then it put its two arms out. One arm touched one side of my
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neck and the other touched the other side like it was making an
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electrical connection. Then I began to be strangled.
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I was writhing and trying to push the doll off my chest, but
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I might as well have been pushing on a wall because it
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wouldn't move. As hard as he pushed against the
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doll, it would not budget, and just as he felt like he was
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slipping into unconsciousness with every fiber of his being,
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he pushed back and finally was able to throw the doll away from
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him. However, despite A terror struck
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but relieved Cow, this would be far from the last time that
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Annabelle would seek to destroy. One night, when Deirdre was out
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of the apartment, Laura and Cow were spending time together in
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the living room. This relaxing time, however, was
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quickly interrupted with a large banging sound that emanated from
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Deirdre's room. The couple, confused as to what
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it could be, rushed to find the source with Cal headed in first.
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They threw the door open, expecting to see someone, but to
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their surprise they were only met with the icy gaze of
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Annabelle. She was staring at them from the
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floor, as if she had been tossed aside by someone.
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Cal walked over to the doll and went to pick it up, but suddenly
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he dropped Annabelle and screamed in pain.
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The young man Winston, agony as white hot slashes, lashed his
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chest. A small pool of blood began to
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form in the middle of his shirt as he frantically darted towards
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the door. Laura was paralyzed with fear as
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her boyfriend had been attacked by something that neither of
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them could see. The two would run out of the
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room and back to the living room as soon as possible, praying to
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God that this force wasn't pursuing them when they reached
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the sofa or a pulled up cow's blood soaked shirt to find
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several large gashes on his chest that looked like claw
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marks. By now, it was becoming
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increasingly clear that Annabelle sought to harm them
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upon informing Deirdre of what had happened while she was gone.
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When she arrived back at the apartment, the three, unsure of
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what else to do, contacted a local priest for help.
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He would in turn request permission to help from his
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superiors, and his superiors then passed on the information
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to paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.
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The Warrens were intrigued by what was allegedly taking place
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and decided to pursue the case in hopes of helping the young
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trio upon arriving at their apartment.
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Hearing each person's testimonies and observing how
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the space felt as well as the doll itself, the Warrens
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believed the happenings to be a result of a heavy demonic
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infestation. They believed that the demon
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didn't specifically haunt just their apartment, but rather the
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building itself and the land around it that it had seen the
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doll as a way in. They further explained that the
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seance had essentially allowed the demon to communicate
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directly with them to be invited into their lives.
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All of those who were present in taking place in the ritual were
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highly vulnerable spiritually, and this opened them up to
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manipulation from the demon which spun a false narrative
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that it was instead the spirit of little lonely Annabelle.
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Then following the seance, Deirdre and Laura had paid
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credence to the doll instead of ignoring it, which only fed the
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demon more energy. It would then continue to feed
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off them by manipulating their caring and maternal emotions,
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since the women were powerless to resist feeling sorry for the
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little girl who just wanted to play and be cared for.
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But once the women had accepted the demon into their lives, they
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and everyone around them became fair game.
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The entity no longer had to masquerade itself, it was free
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to unleash its true form. The couple had sensed that the
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demon was a very powerful one, given how strong it had
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continued to grow and infest their lives.
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Given its proclivity to violence if left unchecked, who would
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have probably tried to kill one or all of them within the next
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several weeks? After explaining the seriousness
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of the situation, they found themselves in the Warrens, then
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contacted a priest they frequently worked with on
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demonic cases. A man named Father Everett and
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Father Everett agreed to come and bless the apartment and an
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attempt to weaken or drive out the demon entirely.
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In due time. He too would arrive and conduct
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the Blessing once Father Everett was finished and had departed.
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The Warrens warned the group that if the Blessing hadn't
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driven the demon out that it at this time was severely weakened
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but could potentially come back with a vengeance.
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Believing the doll to be a conduit at Deirdre's request,
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the Warrens took Annabelle with them when they left Deirdre,
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Laura, and Cal. We're now thankfully free of the
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demonic entity that had plagued their lives.
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However, Annabelle's story is far from over.
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The Warren's problem seemed to begin as soon as Annabelle was
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stuffed into Ed's briefcase. As the couple was headed home,
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they began to experience engine issues in their vehicle which
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almost resulted in multiple headon collisions.
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The demonic entity was causing the power steering and brakes to
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fail and even the engine to stall.
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Once they were able to finally get back home, the doll would be
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placed within the Warren's office specifically with an edge
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chair and the days to come. The Warrens would begin to
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witness the doll manifesting paranormal activity within their
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very house. The doll was seen levitating on
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several occasions and began to frequently teleport to different
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rooms, and the same little notes written with pencil on parchment
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paper began to appear with all two familiar phrases such as
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help me and then now help us. On top of this one evening while
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she was alone, Lorraine began to hear what she described as loud
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rolling growls that reverberated within the walls and threw out
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their entire house. Following this night, the
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Warrens would be visited by Father Daniel Mills, a Catholic
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priest the couple were also working with.
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Upon inquiring about their dealings with the doll, the
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priest made the mistake of picking up Annabelle and telling
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her that you were nothing but a rag doll and you can't hurt
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anything. As the priest laughed, Ed warned
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him to never touch or say anything like that to the doll
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ever again. As he prepared to leave,
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Lorraine warned the priest to please drive carefully because
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her clairvoyance had revealed to her an impending tragedy
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involving a young priest appreciating her concern.
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But riding the situation off, Father Mills departed the
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warrants residence. A few hours later, he would be
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involved in a near fatal car accident which totaled his
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vehicle after his car's breaks had mysteriously failed.
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Upon receiving the news that the priest was heard but would
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survive following the accident, the warrants decided to lock
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Annabelle away in hopes that she would never be able to hurt
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anyone ever again. They would douse her in holy
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water and place her within a blessed class case.
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A blessed crucifix would also be placed on the outside of the
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box, as well as a warning sign asking anyone who may come
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across the doll not to touch it. The doll was then placed and
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they're a cold item collection. Although Annabelle was now
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sealed away in hopes that she would no longer harm anyone, her
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power still seems to affect those who visit her.
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After Ed passed away, Lorraine, in several interviews would
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refer to Annabelle as one of the most evil objects she had ever
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come into contact with. Besides numerous bouts of bad
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luck. Some people have even said to
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have encountered death as a result of meeting her, as well
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as others losing their minds completely and ending up in
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psychiatric care for the rest of their earthly existence.
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One day, a young man visited the Warren's museum and clearly did
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not think things through. He went up to and challenged the
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doll, wanting the worst of whatever it had to offer.
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He had apparently driven to the museum with his girlfriend on
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his motorcycle. Upon their departure, 3 hours
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into their trip home, the man would lose control of his
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vehicle and would hit a tree at a very high speed.
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He would die almost instantly due to the impact.
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His girlfriend, on the other hand, survived but would remain
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hospitalized for over a year. Was this particular instance
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coincidence, or the demon inhabiting the doll, inflicting
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exactly what it had to offer? Although the warrants did
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explain how the demon came into the doll, it begs a bit of a
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deeper question, one that we've seen reoccurring multiple times
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over our various coverage of haunted objects.
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And that is, how much attention is too much attention or
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dedication when it comes to objects is.
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It? Seems like depending on your
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spiritual state and location, that dedication or that embument
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could potentially open the door or create a vessel for something
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malicious to make its way in. I know that the Warrens are
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controversial figures now, even in death, but regardless, they
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are integral to many of the paranormal stories we have and
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will have covered in the future. But what do you think?
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Was Annabelle truly possessed? Was the whole case legitimate or
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a hoax? And with these questions, you
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may find yourself wondering, where is the Annabelle doll
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today? Annabelle remains sealed in the
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same box she was placed in 50 years ago.
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Ed and Lorraine's daughter Judy Spira and her husband Tony
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continue to hold the torch for the warrants and their work.
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Annabelle is on display for all to see at the Occult Museum and
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if you choose to visit. If you happen to find yourself
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staring into her big dark eyes, just know that if you stare too
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long into the abyss, the abys just may stare back at you.
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Thank you guys so much for watching this new video.
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This topic in particular has been requested hundreds of
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times, so I hope I did all of those requests justice.
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Please give this video a like if you enjoyed it, Subscribe with
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notifications on and share this video around.
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All those things help me out a ton.
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That's why I ask you guys to do them all the time.
25:02
I did also just want to announce here and I will also be doing
25:05
some separate promotional videos for something I've never done
25:08
before which is a meet and greet.
25:11
So I will be a guest at the 2023 Tennessee Haunts and Legend
25:15
Expo, which will take place on Saturday, October 21st at the
25:20
Nashville Fairgrounds. There's going to be a ton of
25:23
stuff to do and see, and lots of scary stories and legends to
25:27
learn about, so if you'd like the opportunity to meet me, I
25:30
will have a booth there. I'll have some shirts, some
25:33
cards, and probably some other stuff, and I'd be happy to chat
25:36
with you guys. I'll also be joined by my cohost
25:39
Hayden from the Mystery Archives podcast.
25:42
So come out, have a great time, and see how boring I actually
25:46
am. Other than that, guys, I hope
25:48
you're all having a great October and I wish you nothing
25:51
but the absolute best. As always, this has been Cody
25:55
here at Mystery Archives. Remember to stay safe out there
26:00
and take care.