Yvonne “Missy” Woods, a former DNA scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), appeared in Jefferson County state district court Thursday, facing 102 criminal charges related to her handling of forensic evidence in over 500 cases.
The charges include 52 counts of forgery, 48 counts of attempting to influence a public servant, and individual counts of perjury and cybercrime. Authorities allege that Woods manipulated data, failed to follow testing protocols, and concealed errors during her 29-year tenure at the CBI.
Misconduct Uncovered Through Internal Investigation
The allegations against Woods surfaced in September 2023 when an intern identified missing information in a case she handled in 2018. A deeper investigation revealed a pattern of misconduct spanning from 2008 to 2023.
Prosecutors say Woods altered data to hide tampering, deleted records that documented testing errors, and failed to properly document her work.
“This is a betrayal of trust that has serious implications for the integrity of our justice system,” Jefferson County prosecutors said.
Long-Standing Concerns About Work Practices
Concerns about Woods’ work date back more than a decade. According to an internal affairs report, colleagues questioned her testing protocols in 2014. In 2018, Woods was temporarily barred from DNA casework after accusations of data manipulation.
Despite these red flags, Woods remained employed by the CBI until her retirement in November 2023.
Impact on Criminal Cases
Woods’ alleged misconduct has cast doubt on the validity of evidence in hundreds of cases. One high-profile example involves Garrett Coughlin, who pleaded guilty to reduced charges of second-degree murder in a 2017 triple homicide. Prosecutors cited the inability to call Woods as a key factor in offering the plea deal.
The state’s response to her actions has already cost over $11 million. This includes $7.5 million requested by the Colorado Department of Public Safety for an independent lab to retest up to 3,000 DNA samples and for district attorneys to review and potentially retry impacted cases.
Next Steps
Woods, who is being held on a $50,000 cash bond, is expected to face a lengthy legal process as prosecutors continue to assess the full extent of the fallout. Her case has reignited debates about oversight in forensic science and its role in the criminal justice system.