A Colorado crime lab analyst is charged with more than 100 criminal counts in connection with allegations that she altered reports in sexual assault cases (article available here).
Yvonne “Missy” Woods was charged with 52 counts of forgery, 48 counts of attempt to influence a public servant, one count of first-degree perjury and one count of cybercrime. The charges stemmed from Woods’ employment by Colorado Bureau of Investigation from January 1994 to November 2023. She worked at two laboratory locations.
Woods spent 29 years with CBI and was considered a star in the profession. She worked on several high-profile cases including the 2003 investigation of late basketball player Kobe Bryant and the murder of the University of Colorado student Susannah Chase.
An intern research project assigned by management at a CBI laboratory found anomalies in Woods’ testing. According to investigation documents, Woods had a reputation for cutting corners. The discovery meant Woods had manipulated data in the DNA testing process, leading to incomplete test results in certain cases.
As of August, officials identified 809 cases dating back to 2014 that Woods had a hand in.
CBI opened an Internal Affairs Investigation in the fall of 2023 and placed Woods on administrative leave. She retired before the investigation was completed.