Sources: Michael Pennel Jr. person of interest in D.R. death - ESPN

The body of a woman missing in the Dominican Republic since 2021 was discovered earlier this year on a property that was owned by NFL veteran Michael Pennel Jr. at the time she disappeared, two Dominican sources close to the investigation told ESPN.

The sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Pennel is considered a person of interest in the case.

An attorney for Pennel said the player did not know the woman and was not in the country at the time she disappeared. In a text message response to ESPN, Pennel labeled the story «fake news.»

Carli Franchesca Guzmán Roche was 22 when she was declared missing Sept. 13, 2021, after recently moving to the northern coastal tourist town of Sosúa, where Pennel had a home in a gated community. The national attorney general's office said in a statement that she had not been heard from since Sept. 5 and that the search for her covered the entire province of Puerto Plata.

Two sources close to the investigation said Pennel sold his property last year, and the body was discovered while a worker was digging a trench in January. Guzmán's body was only recently identified after officials compared her DNA to a sample from her son, who is now 8.

Officials did not release a cause of death, but the attorney general's office said authorities are pursuing Guzmán's case as a homicide.

Responding to a text, Pennel said, «This isn't a story. 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.»

Pennel, 34, played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals last season and is a free agent.

His Dominican attorney, Alexander Valbuena, said Pennel asked his lawyers «to offer his