Mike Pennel is facing new scrutiny after being identified as a person of interest in the investigation into the death of Carli Franchesca Guzman Roche in the Dominican Republic. Guzman, who had been missing since 2021, was found dead on a property that Pennel previously owned, and the case is being investigated as a homicide. The development places Mike Pennel at the center of a fast-moving probe tied to a disappearance that has stretched across years.
What investigators are examining
The body was found in January while a worker was digging a trench on the property in Sosúa, a gated community on the northern coast of the Dominican Republic. Guzman was declared missing on Sept. 13, 2021, after she had not been heard from for eight days. The identification required a DNA sample from Guzman’s son, and the case is being handled as a homicide.
Two Dominican sources told that Mike Pennel is considered a person of interest. It remains unclear whether there are additional persons of interest in the case. The property where the body was found had been sold by Pennel last year, placing a former owner at the center of a deeply sensitive criminal investigation.
Mike Pennel responds to the allegations
In a text sent to, Mike Pennel denied any involvement and rejected the allegations. “This isn’t a story. I’m not legally involved. This is fake news being reported. I’d advise you to speak with my agent/lawyer… before writing a false story. Damaging my reputation, ” he wrote. His attorney, Alexander Valbuena, said Pennel did not know the woman and was not in the country when she disappeared.
Valbuena also said Pennel asked his lawyers “to offer his full cooperation to the Dominican authorities and help clarify the situation. ” That response adds an immediate layer of legal tension as investigators continue reviewing how the property, the disappearance, and the discovery of Guzman’s body connect. Mike Pennel has not been charged, and the reporting available so far identifies him only as a person of interest.
Career history and prior controversies
Mike Pennel is a veteran defensive tackle who played last season for the Chiefs and spent time with the Jets, including two seasons in 2017 and 2018. He is currently a free agent. The reports also note that he has been suspended three times for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy and was sued in 2024 by the widow of Dwayne Haskins over an alleged $275, 000 fraud tied to a dog-breeding business in the Dominican Republic.
The broader context matters because the case combines a missing-person investigation, property ownership questions, and a homicide probe that has developed over several years. Mike Pennel’s name now sits at the center of that overlap, even as the factual record remains limited to the details identified in the current reporting. As the Dominican authorities continue their work, Mike Pennel will remain a key figure to watch in the next phase of the investigation.
