Update 7/2/26 at 2:41 p.m.: ESPN has retracted its story reporting that former Kansas City Chiefs star Mike Pennel was a person of interest in the death of a woman who went missing in the Dominican Republic in 2021.
“ESPN has determined the story contained errors and has removed it,” ESPN explained in a statement published to its website. “Since the publication of the story, Pennel’s representatives have provided ESPN with documentation, including travel and financial records, supporting Pennel’s statements to ESPN that he was not in the Dominican Republic at the time the woman disappeared.”
ESPN also linked to a statement from Pennel’s legal representatives, which reiterated that he had “nothing to do with” the death of Carli Franchesca Guzmán Roche and stated that he was never a person of interest in the investigation.
“Mr. Pennel’s personal records including his passport and other travel documents, banking records and photographs along with their geotracking locations confirm Mike was not in the Dominican Republic in September, 2021 at the time of Ms. Roche’s disappearance, or in the weeks before or after it,” the statement from Kaleo Legal read. “Mike was in Denver, Colorado being treated for a sports injury at the time and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons on September 15, 2021.”
The statement continued, “Mr. Pennel’s Dominican attorney, Cesar A. Duran, never told anyone he expected Mr. Pennel to be arrested.”
“Mr. Pennel owned but never lived in the property where the remains of Ms. Roche were found,” the statement concluded. “Mr. Pennel’s video surveillance system captured several people unlawfully trespassing on the property the night Ms. Roche disappeared. Mr. Pennel saved the video surveillance and shared it with the Dominican authorities who did not know it existed.”
Pennel is currently a free agent, splitting last season with the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals.
Original story below.
NFL free agent and former Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Mike Pennel Jr. has been named a person of interest in the death of a woman who went missing in the Dominican Republic in 2021, ESPN reported on Saturday, April 25.
Carli Franchesca Guzmán Roche’s body was found earlier this year on a property that Pennel, 35, owned at the time of her disappearance.
Pennel’s attorney, Alexander Valbuena, told ESPN that his client did not know the victim, further claiming that he was not in the Dominican Republic when she went missing.
Guzmán was 22 when she disappeared in 2021 in the province of Puerto Plata. She was discovered while a worker was digging a trench in January of this year on the property that Pennel once owned. (He sold the property last year, according to ESPN.)
Pennel’s claim he has no involvement in Guzmán’s disappearance comes just two months after influencer Jhonni Blaze accused him of domestic violence linked to a past relationship. Pennel responded with a lengthy denial via Instagram, accusing Blaze of trying to extort him. Neither party reported the other to law enforcement.
Guzmán’s body was identified via a DNA sample provided by her son, who is now 8. Officials were unable to determine a cause of death but are investigating the incident as a homicide.
“This isn’t a story. I’m not legally involved,” Pennel said in a text message to ESPN. “This is fake news being reported. I’d advise you to speak with my agent/lawyer … before writing a false story. Damaging my reputation.”
Valbuena added that Pennel has requested his lawyers “offer his full cooperation to the Dominican authorities and help clarify the situation.”
Authorities did not say if there are any other persons of interest in the case.
“It is also important to clarify that we are already in communication with the authorities to clarify the situation, as Mr. [Pennel’s] primary concern and interest has been to get to the bottom of this since he learned of it,” Valbuena added.
Guzmán’s grandmother, Paula González, told ESPN that she had not been informed who owned the property where the remains were found and she had “no idea” why her granddaughter would have been there.
“She was pretty, a student, very loving,” González said. “Everyone loved her. She had lots of friends.”
Pennel has played 12 seasons in the NFL, splitting time in 2025 with the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. He tallied 26 tackles across 16 games.
He deactivated his Instagram account on Thursday, April 23, as unsubstantiated rumors about Pennel’s alleged involvement in Guzmán’s death began to spread, according to ESPN.
