Colorado Crime Analyst Sentenced for Falsifying DNA Evidence — Hundreds of Cases Now in Chaos

In a shocking case out of Colorado, a crime lab analyst has been sentenced to 10 years behind bars for tampering with DNA evidence.

Imagine your loved one’s rapist or murderer being acquitted because the forensic analyst on the case decided to destroy the DNA proof linking them to the crime.

That’s exactly what 66-year-old Yvonne “Missy” Woods did.

Over her decades-long career at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, this deranged woman altered DNA data in over one-thousand cases, allowing countless criminals to walk free.

For some bizarre reason, this woman threw out DNA from rape kits and even homicide investigations.

Hundreds of those cases were sexual assaults of women and children.

Here are the details:

BREAKING: Colorado DNA analyst Yvonne “Missy” Woods sentenced to 10 years after deleting male DNA in 32 rape cases — then reporting none was found.

She spent 29 years as CBI’s star expert. Investigators now say 1,045 of her cases are tainted. Over 400 were sexual assaults. One murder conviction already tossed.

An intern caught her. Concerns were raised more than a decade earlier. She kept testing rape kits anyway.
In court, supporters packed the room. Victims shouted “LIAR! LIAR! LIAR!” as she was cuffed and led out.

Colorado is now retesting more than 1,000 cases.

Prosecutors already cut plea deals in three murder cases rather than risk her work in front of a jury.

Woods pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges, but dozens of others were dismissed as part of the plea deal she took.

It’s insane how long she got away with her crimes.

In the end, she was only caught because an intern sounded the alarm.

People reported further:

She had pleaded guilty in June to four felony counts: cybercrime, first-degree perjury, attempting to influence a public servant and forgery. The charges were related to the misconduct Wood committed between 2008 and 2023 when she served as a forensic scientist with the CBI.

Woods apologized in court Tuesday, saying her actions affected the integrity of the criminal justice system and the people involved in the cases she worked on.

“I take responsibility for the conduct and for the offenses to which I pleaded guilty, and I know that an apology cannot undo the harm,” she said, per the press statement. “For many years, I was entrusted with evidence that could have profound consequences for defendants, victims, families and the courts. I failed that responsibility. I am deeply sorry for that failure and for the consequences that followed.”

In imposing the sentence, Judge Andrew Poland in Golden, Colo., described the case as “intentional misconduct by a highly trained professional occupying a position of extraordinary trust,” according to the D.A.’s office.

The investigation began in September 2023, when a CBI intern discovered missing DNA data in a sample Woods had processed in 2018. A broader review found similar alterations and deletions, leading CBI to request an independent criminal investigation by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (SDDCI). 

Investigators ultimately identified 53 cases involving false or misleading lab reports that contained statements attributed to Woods. Of those, 41 did not result in criminal charges against a suspect, including 32 involving women and children who reported sexual assault, according to the release.

In those cases, Woods deleted values indicating that male DNA was present and then issued reports stating that no male DNA had been found, prosecutors said. “Her conduct eliminated opportunities for additional testing, comparison and investigation,” the release states.

Twelve false lab reports were tied to cases in which criminal charges were filed against a suspect. Three of those cases went to trial, with one resulting in a conviction and two ending in acquittals. Woods pleaded guilty to perjury based on false testimony she gave during the trial that resulted in a first-degree murder conviction, prosecutors said.

Of the remaining nine cases, six resulted in plea agreements, two were dismissed and one remains in warrant status.

As for why she did it, Woods claims that she tampered with DNA data in order to get through her job more quickly — with no regard for the victims she was denying justice.

Because of her conduct, at least one murder conviction has been vacated.

From CNN:

According to an arrest affidavit, Woods allegedly told investigators at one point that she had changed data to complete cases more quickly.

In the vacated murder case, Michael Clark was released from prison in 2025 after his lawyers argued that DNA evidence was mishandled by Woods. Prosecutors said they would seek to retry him.

In two homicide cases, the defendants received lesser sentences under plea deals than they could have faced if they went to trial because prosecutors were afraid Woods’ involvement could lead to acquittals.

Convictions in other cases also have been challenged in courts across Colorado.

A Colorado Bureau of Investigation internal affairs report in 2024 revealed that concerns about Woods’ work first surfaced more than a decade ago. As early as 2014, a worker questioned her testing of evidence, and in 2018 she was temporarily removed from working on DNA cases after being accused of data manipulation, the report said. 

Now, Woods is going to jail and thousands of cases in Colorado have been called into question.

The Denver Police Department is already re-testing 13 cases where Woods handled the DNA data.

KDVR has more on that:

An independent review led DCL to fully re-examine three of those cases, as well as an additional 10 sexual assault cases in Denver, making the total 13. According to the statement, that work was conducted between April 2025 and March 2026.

“Re-testing efforts produced CODIS-eligible DNA profiles in 11 of the 13 cases examined,” the statement read. “Additionally, six of those 11 cases generated investigative leads through CODIS database associations, linking evidentiary profiles to potential suspects or other criminal investigations.”

The Denver Police Department added that it cannot disclose which cases were involved, as they are the subject of an active investigation/proceeding, but that final reports will eventually be given to the District Attorney’s Office.

This case is deeply troubling and begs the question: how many other Missy Woods are there out there?

Take a look at some of these replies:

Many folks do not believe that 10 years in prison is nearly long enough for such a scummy crime:

What are your thoughts?

Is a decade in prison a fair sentence?

https://wltreport.com/2026/09/12/colorado-crime-analyst-sentenced-for-falsifying-dna-evidence-hundreds-of-cases-now-in-chaos/