DNA SCANDAL EXPLODES — FORMER FORENSIC ANALYST SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS AFTER MANIPULATING EVIDENCE

Yvonne “Missy” Woods spent decades handling forensic evidence for Colorado investigators. Now hundreds of criminal cases have been thrown into question after prosecutors uncovered years of manipulated DNA data.

A former Colorado forensic analyst has been sentenced to 10 years in state prison after admitting to manipulating DNA-related data in criminal cases — a scandal that has forced authorities to reexamine hundreds of investigations.

Yvonne “Missy” Woods, 66, was sentenced on Tuesday, September 8, after pleading guilty in June to four felony charges: cybercrime, first-degree perjury, attempting to influence a public servant and forgery.

The charges stem from misconduct that prosecutors say occurred between 2008 and 2023, while Woods was working as a forensic scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The consequences have reached far beyond one laboratory.

Cases involving homicides, sexual assaults, robberies and other serious crimes have been reviewed, while at least one murder conviction has already been vacated following questions about Woods’ work.

THE DISCOVERY THAT STARTED THE INVESTIGATION

The investigation began in September 2023, after a CBI intern discovered missing DNA information in a sample Woods had processed in 2018.

What initially appeared to be an isolated problem led investigators to examine a much larger body of Woods’ work.

A broader review uncovered similar alterations and deletions in other cases, eventually identifying 53 cases involving false or misleading laboratory reports attributed to Woods.

Of those 53 cases, 41 never resulted in criminal charges against a suspect.

Prosecutors said 32 of those cases involved women and children who had reported sexual assault.

In those cases, Woods allegedly deleted values indicating that male DNA was present and then issued reports stating that no male DNA had been found.

According to prosecutors, that conduct eliminated opportunities for additional testing, comparisons and investigation.

THE DAMAGE REACHED THE COURTROOM

Twelve of the false laboratory reports were connected to cases in which criminal charges were filed.

Three of those cases eventually went to trial.

One resulted in a conviction, while two ended in acquittals.

Woods’ perjury conviction was connected to false testimony she gave during the trial that resulted in a first-degree murder conviction, according to prosecutors.

The remaining nine cases were also affected.

Prosecutors said:

• Six resulted in plea agreements
• Two were dismissed
• One remained in warrant status

At least one murder conviction has since been vacated, while other cases have faced challenges or reduced outcomes because of concerns surrounding Woods’ involvement.

BUT INVESTIGATORS FOUND AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION

The scandal has sometimes been described broadly as a DNA-forensics collapse.

But prosecutors made an important clarification.

The criminal investigation did not find evidence that Woods created false DNA identifications, false comparisons or false positive results.

Instead, investigators found that she manipulated or deleted existing data and altered laboratory records in ways that could affect how evidence was interpreted and whether investigators had opportunities for further testing.

Her manipulation of values in laboratory notes also affected hundreds of additional cases, although prosecutors said those changes did not result in false reports.

That distinction does not erase the impact.

It means that investigators must now determine which cases were merely touched by Woods’ recordkeeping problems and which may have been materially affected by them.

WARNING SIGNS APPEARED YEARS EARLIER

Perhaps one of the most troubling parts of the case is that concerns about Woods’ work reportedly existed long before the 2023 investigation.

An internal CBI review found that a colleague had questioned aspects of her testing as early as 2014.

In 2018, Woods was temporarily removed from DNA-related work after concerns about data manipulation emerged.

She continued working for the CBI until November 2023, when she resigned following the discovery that ultimately triggered the wider investigation.

The timeline has raised questions about whether earlier warnings could have prevented some of the damage.

“I FAILED THAT RESPONSIBILITY”

During her sentencing hearing, Woods apologized and accepted responsibility for her conduct.

She acknowledged that she had been entrusted with evidence that could profoundly affect defendants, victims, families and courts.

She said she understood that an apology could not undo the harm caused by her actions.

Judge Andrew Poland, who sentenced Woods in Golden, Colorado, described the misconduct as intentional behavior by a highly trained professional occupying a position of extraordinary trust.

The judge sentenced her to 10 years in state prison.

COLORADO NOW FACES THE FALLOUT

The sentence may have closed one chapter of the scandal, but it does not end the investigation into the cases touched by Woods’ work.

Authorities have been forced to review hundreds of criminal cases to determine whether her conduct affected evidence, prosecutions or convictions.

The financial cost could exceed $11 million, according to state officials.

The CBI has also promised reforms aimed at restoring confidence in its forensic laboratories.

CBI Director Armando Saldate said the actions of one employee should not define the many forensic professionals working for the agency.

But for victims, defendants and families connected to the cases, the questions may last far longer than Woods’ sentence.

DNA evidence is often viewed as one of the most powerful tools in modern criminal investigations.

When the integrity of the person handling that evidence is called into question, the consequences can spread through an entire justice system.

And now Colorado has a massive task ahead:

Recheck the evidence. Reexamine the cases. And determine what can still be trusted.