Colorado DNA Analyst Sentenced to 10 Years for Tampering

A former Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) forensic scientist has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for manipulating DNA data and issuing false or misleading laboratory reports in dozens of criminal cases. Yvonne Missy Woods, 66, was sentenced Tuesday by District Court Judge Andrew Poland after pleading guilty in June to four felony charges: cybercrime, perjury, attempting to influence a public servant, and forgery. As part of a plea agreement, numerous other counts against her were dismissed. Prosecutors stated that Woods' misconduct, which occurred between 2008 and 2023, affected hundreds of criminal cases. Her manipulation of laboratory data included reporting that DNA was not present when it had been detected, or omitting findings, often to speed up the testing process and boost her productivity. This led to investigations being halted prematurely and raised significant questions about the integrity of evidence used in court. Of particular concern were cases involving women and children who had reported sexual assault. In these instances, Woods deleted values indicating male DNA was present, issuing reports that stated no male DNA had been found.