Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Mike Pennel (69) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium.
An already tumultuous offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs took another twist recently with news that defensive tackle Mike Pennel is now a person of interest in the death of a woman who went missing in 2021.
Pennel, who has bounced around the NFL but won two Super Bowls with the Chiefs across three stints with the team, initially claimed he had no knowledge of Carli Franchesca Guzmán Roche, whose body was discovered in January of this year after her family first reported her missing on Sept. 11, 2021.
“I don’t understand any of this, I don’t know who you’re talking to, who’s saying this — I don’t know this woman. I wasn’t in the country (when Guzmán disappeared),” Pennel reportedly told ESPN.
Chiefs DT Mike Pennel Had Prior Relationship With Missing Woman
According to the report, Pennel and Guzmán spent significant time together when the NFL players would visit the Dominican Republic, where he owned a property in the resort area of Puerto Plata until 2025.
Guzmán’s family reported her missing in 2021. However, her body was not found until the new owner of the property was doing excavation work in January.
Pennel allegedly referred ESPN reporters to Dominican lawyer Ariel Durán, who claimed that Pennel had nothing to do with Guzmán’s death and that documents would exonerate him.
However, Duran told ESPN that he expects Pennel to be charged in the case because the body was found on his property. Additionally, Duran would not commit to representing Pennel in the case due to a dispute over pay.
Prosecutors are now pursuing the case as a homicide despite the fact that no cause of death has been released.
Pennel appeared in 16 games in 2025, eight each for the Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals. He’s played in a total of 154 games across 12 seasons in the NFL.