NFL veteran Michael Pennel Jr. has been named a person of interest in a missing persons investigation tied to the Dominican Republic.
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The case centers on Carli Franchesca Guzmán Roche, whose body was discovered earlier this year on a property previously owned by Pennel.
Guzmán had been missing since 2021, when she was 22 years old.
According to ESPN, Pennel has dismissed the claims as "fake news," though reports suggest the situation remains under active investigation.
NFL Veteran Linked to Missing Person Case
An ESPN report by T.J. Quinn and Juan Recio states that Pennel's attorney insists the player did not know Guzmán.
His legal team also claims Pennel was not in the country when she initially disappeared.
Guzmán was reported missing on September 13, 2021, after relocating to Sosúa, a tourist town in the Puerto Plata region.
Authorities believe she was last seen on September 5, just over a week before she was officially reported missing.
At the time, Pennel owned a home in a gated community in the same area.
Search efforts for Guzmán spanned the wider Puerto Plata region for years.
According to ESPN, Pennel sold the property last year. Workers later discovered Guzmán's remains while digging a trench at the site.
Officials identified her through DNA testing linked to her son, who is now eight years old.
Investigation Ongoing as Pennel Denies Involvement
Authorities have not yet released Guzmán's official cause of death, though investigators are treating the case as a homicide.
"This isn't a story. I'm not legally involved. This is fake news being reported," Pennel reportedly told ESPN via text. "I'd advise you to speak with my agent/lawyer ... before writing a false story. Damaging my reputation."
Pennel's Dominican attorney, Alexander Valbuena, said the player has instructed his legal team to cooperate fully with authorities. He hopes to "help clarify the situation."
Pennel also told ESPN that, as of Saturday morning, Dominican authorities had not contacted him.
"At the time of Guzmán's disappearance, Pennel was between teams, having been released Aug. 31, 2021, by the Chicago Bears," Quinn and Recio wrote. "He signed with the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 15, two days after Guzmán was declared missing."
Pennel most recently played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals last season and is currently a free agent. He won two Super Bowls during his stint in Kansas City.
His Instagram account has since been deactivated following unverified reports circulating in local media and on social platforms.
