Former Colorado DNA analyst accused of manipulating data pleads not guilty, trial date set
Yvonne "Missy" Woods, a former DNA analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to the 102 charges she's facing related to allegedly mishandling or manipulating data in dozens of criminal investigations.
Woods, 65, was charged in Jefferson County Court in January 2025 and posted a $50,000 cash or surety bond the day after her first appearance.
She's been charged with the following:
- 52 counts of forgery of a government-issued document
- 48 counts of attempting to influence a public servant
- 1 count of first-degree perjury
- 1 count of cybercrime
Woods and her attorney declined to comment on the case for CBS News Colorado on Wednesday.
CBI says it launched an investigation into over 1,000 cases in which Woods had some sort of involvement. The agency said it looked at cases from 1994 to 2023, when she was placed on administrative leave and then retired.
In a 35-page arrest affidavit, investigators said Woods intentionally left DNA samples out of tests or reports and sometimes would test samples until the results showed what she wanted. CBI asked the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation to conduct an outside investigation into the case since it involved one of its own employees.
Groups like the ACLU and the Korey Wise Innocence Project at the University of Colorado's Law School, as well as several defense attorneys in Colorado, have also called for a transparent and independent audit of cases Woods worked with or may have impacted. A number of cases she was involved with have already been challenged.
Emma Mclean-Riggs, a staff attorney at the ACLU of Colorado, previously said that "this misconduct brings CBI's entire forensic operation into question, and a thorough, independent audit, followed by full disclosure of the results to stakeholders and the public is essential."
A five-week trial was set to begin on Sept. 24. She's due back in court on Aug. 27 for a status hearing.
