Woman Found Buried In Backyard Of Former Kansas City Chiefs Star’s Home
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Mike Pennel Jr. faces serious legal trouble in the Dominican Republic. Remains of a woman he reportedly used to date were found buried in the backyard of a home he once owned.
The remains belong to Carli Franchesca Guzmán Roche, who went missing in September 2021 after her family reported her disappearance. The property owner discovered them in January 2026, more than four years later, as he performed excavation work on the land.
What Mike Pennel Jr. Has Said About the Case
Pennel has firmly denied any connection to Guzmán. Speaking directly to a reporter, he pushed back hard on the allegations.
“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 said.
That denial, however, runs directly counter to new reporting from ESPN, which found through interviews and police records that Pennel and Guzmán not only knew each other but reportedly dated frequently whenever he visited the Dominican Republic before her disappearance. Witnesses had told police as far back as 2021 that Pennel had ties to Guzmán worth investigating, though nothing suggests police formally questioned him at the time.
Mike Pennel Jr.’s Attorney Expects Charges to Follow
Perhaps the most striking development comes from Pennel’s own legal team. Attorney Ariel Durán told reporters his client was not involved in Guzmán’s death, but acknowledged he expects Pennel to be arrested and charged simply because her body was found on property Pennel once owned.
Durán added an unusual wrinkle to the situation: if Pennel receives charges, Durán will not be representing him, citing an ongoing financial dispute between the two. That detail leaves Pennel’s legal future uncertain at a moment when scrutiny around the case is only intensifying.
Pennel sold the Dominican Republic property in 2025, less than a year before the discovery of Guzmán’s remains. The Dominican attorney general’s office has been treating her death as a homicide, though no charges have been filed against Pennel or anyone else as of this report.
A two-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs, Pennel remains an NFL free agent. He has not commented further beyond his initial denial. It remains unclear whether Dominican authorities will move toward formal charges in the weeks ahead.
