Colorado finds DNA scientist cut corners, raising questions in hundreds of criminal cases

A former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA scientist intentionally cut corners and didn’t follow standard testing protocols, raising questions about hundreds of cases in which she processed evidence, the agency said Friday, calling it “an unprecedented breach of trust.” The investigation found Yvonne “Missy” Woods manipulated data in the DNA testing process and posted incomplete test results in some cases, but it did not find that she falsified DNA matches or otherwise fabricated DNA profiles, the bureau said. “The discovery puts all of her work in question,” the agency said in a statement, adding that it was reviewing “all her previous work for data manipulation to ensure the integrity of all CBI laboratory results.” Investigators have found 652 cases affected by Woods’ data manipulation from 2008 through 2023, the agency said. “Our actions in rectifying this unprecedented breach of trust will be thorough and transparent.” While the investigation found Woods deviated from standard protocols, “she has long maintained that she’s never created or falsely reported any inculpatory DNA matches or exclusions, nor has she testified falsely in any hearing or trial resulting in a false conviction or unjust imprisonment,” her attorney, Ryan Brackley, said in a statement to The Associated Press on Friday. In the course of the investigation, CBI found indications that a DNA analyst who had been working for the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at the Northern Colorado Regional Forensic Laboratory in Greeley, Colorado, for about 10 years may have also manipulated DNA testing data.