Ex-Colorado Forensic Scientist Accused of Tampering with Evidence, Faces 102 Criminal Counts

Race Day Live (Denver, CO) – Yvonne “Missy” Woods, a former forensic laboratory scientist who worked for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for nearly 30 years, is charged with 102 crimes, according to the Colorado First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

From 2008 to 2023, Woods has been accused of 58 acts of criminal misbehavior while working for the CBI. CBI employed her from January 1994 to November 2023, and she worked at two Jefferson County laboratories. Questions regarding her work and practices were raised as early as 2014, even though management appeared to regard Woods as a “golden child” who was “amazing” at forensics.

The chief investigator from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office submitted an arrest warrant for Woods on Tuesday. Woods handed herself in to Jefferson County Jail on Wednesday and is being jailed on a $50,000 cash-only bond.

Woods faces felony charges for:

• Cybercrime

• Perjury in the first degree

• Attempt to influence a public servant (48 counts)

• Forgery (52 counts)

Decker said he has met with people who were convicted in part because of work done by Woods and subsequently utilized in court. Woods’ first court appearance is set for January 23 at 10 a.m.

“I got a call today from an individual who suffered a conviction and received a letter from the CBI indicating that Mrs. Woods had done testing on his case,” Decker was quoted as saying. “I’ve gotten calls from other individuals who also got those letters from CBI who do have valid claims that the results of their trial or their decisions to plead guilty were materially affected by that testing.”

In June 2024, a Boulder defendant in a case involving three 2017 deaths pleaded guilty to reduced counts after prosecutors offered a plea deal. The arrangement was made in part because prosecutors were unable to call Woods to testify in the case. He might have faced life in jail without parole, but instead received a 42-year sentence with seven years of pre-sentence credit.

In September 2023, a CBI intern was studying quantification data in vestibular swabs from previous sexual assault cases. The intern observed that in 2018, Woods processed a sample without a quantification value, despite the fact that the male cycle threshold was present in the sample.

An internal examination ruled out the likelihood of an instrument or quantification kit error, and an internal probe into Woods’ workbooks occurred around the same time period. Instead, CBI discovered that Woods “deviated from standard testing protocols and cut corners,” raising concerns about how dependable her testing was.

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