Former Bears defensive tackle Mike Pennel has been named a person of interest in an active homicide investigation in the Dominican Republic after skeletal remains found earlier this year were identified as a woman who vanished in 2021. Pennel has publicly denied any legal involvement and dismissed the coverage as “fake news.”
According to ESPN, two Dominican sources close to the probe said the remains were discovered in January in a trench on land Pennel once owned in Sosúa, Puerto Plata. DNA from the bones reportedly matched a sample taken from the woman’s young son. The outlet reports that Pennel sold the property last year and that Dominican prosecutors are treating the case as a homicide while investigators question “foreigners” tied to the area.
Official identification and local probe
The Dominican Public Ministry and the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) confirmed that the remains belong to 22-year-old Carli Franchesca Guzmán Roche and that the case has been reclassified as a homicide, Diario Libre reported. Local coverage notes that Guzmán Roche was reported missing in September 2021 by relatives in Baní and that authorities relied on DNA testing using a sample from her son to make the identification.
Pennel, 34, told reporters he was not in the Dominican Republic when Guzmán Roche disappeared and that he does not know her, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. His Dominican attorney, Alexander Valbuena, said Pennel has instructed his legal team to “offer his full cooperation to the Dominican authorities,” while maintaining that the reporting is damaging to his reputation.
Investigators widen their inquiries
Dominican outlets report that prosecutors have broadened their inquiries and interviewed multiple people, including U.S. citizens, as they pursue the case in Puerto Plata. Local coverage identifies three American nationals as among those questioned and stresses that the investigation is still in its early stages, El Caribe reported. Officials say forensic analysis and additional witness interviews are continuing as investigators work to determine any links between the property, the victim and persons of interest.
Legal status and what comes next
Being labeled a “person of interest” does not amount to a criminal charge, and Dominican authorities have not announced any arrests or filed charges in the case, ESPN reported. Prosecutors say the matter remains in an early phase while they complete forensic work and interviews that could underpin any future legal filings.
For Pennel, a journeyman lineman who has suited up for multiple NFL teams and most recently split last season between Cincinnati and Kansas City, the development injects immediate uncertainty into his football future and public image, the Chicago Sun-Times notes. Legal observers cited by the outlet say teams and leagues typically wait for clearer outcomes in foreign investigations before taking personnel action, and that the Dominican Public Ministry has indicated it will now follow the forensic leads in hand.
Family reaction
Relatives of Guzmán Roche have been pressing authorities for answers for years. Her grandmother told local reporters she had “no idea” why her granddaughter would have been at the villa where the remains were found, Diario Libre reported. Advocacy groups for missing persons say the case highlights long-standing worries about investigative follow-up in some tourist-heavy corridors of the country.
