Colorado DNA Crime Analyst Set to Appear in Court on Forgery and Additional Charges

DENVER—A former DNA scientist from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation is facing 102 criminal charges, including numerous counts of forgery, after officials reported that she compromised standards and did not adhere to proper testing protocols in numerous criminal cases.

Yvonne “Missy” Woods was scheduled to appear in state district court in Jefferson County on Thursday. She retired in November 2023 after a 29-year tenure at the state’s forensic laboratory.

The integrity of over 500 cases has been challenged due to her manipulation of data, as stated in an arrest warrant affidavit made public by prosecutors.

Woods was detained in the Jefferson County Jail on a $50,000 cash bond as of Wednesday. Her attorney has not yet replied to a phone call requesting comments.

The investigation into her alleged unethical behavior commenced in September 2023 when an intern at the state investigation bureau noticed that information was missing from a case Woods had managed in 2018.

Further inquiries into other cases she worked on revealed that Woods had altered data to hide tampering, erased data indicating her failure to address problems in the testing procedure, and inadequately documented tests in case records, according to authorities.

In addition to 52 counts of forgery, Woods is charged with 48 counts of attempting to influence a public servant, along with one count each of perjury and cybercrime, for misconduct alleged to have occurred between 2008 and 2023.

Last year, a report by the Colorado Bureau of Investigations’ internal affairs indicated that issues regarding Woods’ performance were raised over a decade ago. Concerns about her evidence testing surfaced in 2014, and in 2018, she was temporarily barred from working on DNA cases due to accusations of data manipulation, the report outlines.

The repercussions of her alleged wrongdoing continue to unfold. In June, a Colorado man accepted a plea deal on reduced charges related to the murder of three individuals in 2017, marking the first prosecution thought to be influenced by Woods’ work.

Garrett Coughlin was offered the option to plead guilty to second-degree murder partly because prosecutors could not summon Woods to testify in a case predominantly based on circumstantial evidence.

This agreement enabled Coughlin to avoid what could have been a life sentence for felony murder following the reversal of his initial conviction, which was undone after it was revealed that at least one juror had lied during the selection process.

Officials stated on Wednesday that the response to Woods’ alleged actions has incurred costs exceeding $11 million.

Among those expenses, last year, the Colorado Department of Public Safety requested $7.5 million from the Legislature to fund an independent laboratory to retest up to 3,000 DNA samples, as well as for district attorneys to reassess and potentially reprosecute cases affected by lab errors.

On Tuesday, state officials announced they had contracted a consulting firm to evaluate the state’s forensic program. Bureau of Investigations Director Chris Schaefer stated that hiring Forward Resolutions LLC is part of the agency’s commitment to “holding itself accountable” after the allegations against Woods.

By Matthew Brown and Colleen Slevin