Yvonne 'Missy' Woods, a former DNA analyst for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for intentionally tampering with thousands of pieces of DNA evidence. The sentencing on Tuesday followed her guilty plea to charges of cybercrime, perjury, forgery, and attempting to influence a public servant.
Woods, 66, worked for the CBI for nearly 30 years before her misconduct was uncovered. A 14-month investigation, initiated in September 2023 after an internal CBI review found altered or missing data, revealed that at least 1,003 cases were impacted between 1994 and 2023. Prosecutors had recommended an eight-to-16-year sentence as part of a plea deal, but Judge Andrew Poland imposed a harsher penalty.
During her hearing, Woods acknowledged the gravity of her actions, stating, "I understand that my actions have not only impacted the integrity of the criminal justice system but also the people whose lives were touched by the cases in which I worked." She added, "I take responsibility for the offenses to which I pled guilty, and I know that an apology cannot undo the harm or restore the trust that was lost."
Investigators found that Woods deliberately omitted DNA samples from reports and, at times, withheld testing until results aligned with desired outcomes. An investigation by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, requested by CBI due to its employee's involvement, alleged that Woods deleted specific findings in over 30 sexual assault cases and falsely reported that no male DNA was present when it was.
Her mishandling of evidence has had far-reaching consequences, affecting numerous individuals and costing the state millions of dollars. In 2024, the Boulder County District Attorney's office identified 56 closed and 13 open cases where Woods was a witness or potential witness. The ramifications of her actions have been described as one of the most significant improprieties in the history of forensic DNA testing.
Woods' work had previously been instrumental in securing convictions in several high-profile cases. She testified in the 2021 trial of Alex Ewing, the 'Hammer Killer,' whose DNA was found on evidence related to a 1984 family murder, leading to Ewing's conviction and four life sentences. She also provided DNA testing that contributed to the 2009 conviction of Aaron Thompson, who received 114 years for child abuse and the death of a daughter. Additionally, Woods' analysis linked DNA evidence to convictions in cases such as that of James Whitler in 2009 and Diego Olmos Alcalde in 1997 for rape and murder.
