The Colorado Bureau of Investigation identified problems with more than 1,000 criminal cases handled by longtime DNA scientist Yvonne “Missy” Woods, culminating the agency’s review of her troubled 30-year career.
A criminal investigation into Woods’ actions by the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office remains ongoing.
The CBI last week posted an update on its website saying the review of all of Woods’ work had been completed, revealing 1,003 “impacted” cases. The agency added that, “New information, if discovered, will be thoroughly vetted.”
Woods’ attorney, Ryan Brackley, has previously said she never provided false testimony in court cases and never falsely reported DNA matches or exclusions.
CBI leaders began to discover the full scope of Woods’ misconduct in late 2023. The agency found Woods cut corners in much of her DNA testing, then covered up her shortcuts by altering, deleting or omitting data from lab work.
State lawmakers have set aside $7.4 million to help remedy the wrongdoing, funding that included $3 million to retest 3,000 DNA samples and $4.4 million for district attorney’s offices that are expected to face wrongful conviction claims due to Woods’ work.
Fellow agency staffers raised repeated concerns over the years about Woods’ work, but CBI officials allowed their star forensic scientist to remain on the job.
The agency also did not use a federally mandated oversight process designed to investigate misconduct in forensic testing, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and the Korey Wise Innocence Project said in a letter to the CBI last month.
Woods’ shoddy work has impacted multiple Colorado cases already, including one man who says he was wrongfully convicted based on her testing.
CBI in October hired a Wisconsin consulting firm to audit its forensic services.
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