Former Bears defensive tackle Mike Pennel is a person of interest in the investigation of a woman’s death in the Dominican Republic, ESPN reported Saturday, but he has denied any legal involvement in the case and called it “fake news.”
Pennel’s attorney told ESPN that Pennel and his representation already have been in communication with Dominican authorities and that Pennel’s chief concern is “to get to the bottom of this.”
Carli Franchesca Guzman Roche was declared missing Sept. 13, 2021, when she was 22. When Pennel sold his home in the Dominican last year, sources told ESPN that her remains were discovered on the property by a worker digging a trench. The attorney general’s office told the network the case is being investigated as a homicide.
“This isn’t a story,” Pennel wrote in a text message to the reporters. “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.”
An attorney for Pennel told ESPN that he wasn’t in the Dominican when Roche disappeared, didn’t know her and that Pennel directed his lawyers to “offer his full cooperation to the Dominican Authorities and help clarify the situation.”
Pennel, 34, was with the Bears in 2021 and ’22. Roche was declared missing in 2021 between the time the team released him Aug. 31 and the Falcons signing him Sept. 15. He spent all of the 2022 season with the Bears, playing every game and starting twice.
He split last season between the Bengals and Chiefs and currently is a free agent.
