Andrew Buller-Russ
Like the rest of the league, the Kansas City Chiefs are still putting the pieces back together after a frenetic 2026 NFL Draft that saw them select seven players. The hope is that general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid have once again assembled a team capable of competing for another Super Bowl.
While the current Chiefs have their sights set on Super Bowl LXI, one of the Chiefs of years’ past is in a bit of a pickle.
According to ESPN, former Chiefs defensive tackle Mike Pennel Jr. has been named as a “person of interest” in connection to the death of a woman in the Dominican Republic.
The woman was reported missing back in 2021, but her body was only recently discovered in January when a worker digging a trench discovered her. Pennel was not on an NFL team when she went missing.
However, Pennel’s lawyer says Pennel did not know the woman at all, nor was he in the Dominican Republic when she went missing. In fact, he doesn’t even own the property that the body was found on, he sold it in 2025.
As for Pennel, he’s calling the story “fake news” and has since contacted ESPN with the following statement.
“This isn’t a story,” Pennel said. “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, is a two-time Super Bowl champion as a member of the Chiefs. The former undrafted free agent entered the NFL with the Green Bay Packers in 2014. He spent three seasons with the team before moving onto the Jets, Chiefs, Falcons, Bears, back to the Chiefs, then the Bengals, and lastly with the Chiefs again in 2025. He is currently a free agent.
Related: 2026 NFL Power Rankings: Evaluating Worst, Best Teams After NFL Draft
