GOLDEN, Colo. — Former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA analyst Yvonne “Missy” Woods pleaded guilty Tuesday to multiple felony charges stemming from the manipulation and mishandling of forensic evidence in criminal investigations, bringing a major development in a case that has cast doubt on more than 1,000 criminal cases across Colorado.
Judge Andrew Poland accepted Woods’ guilty plea in the First Judicial District after she pleaded guilty to four charges related to the manipulation or mishandling of data in multiple cases she handled while working for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
CBS News reported that Woods “pleaded guilty to one count each of cybercrime, perjury, attempt to influence a public servant and forgery.” It reported that in January 2025, Woods was charged in Jefferson County Court and pleaded not guilty to the same charges in February.
An arrest affidavit submitted by a law enforcement officer stated that investigators from the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigations were assigned by the CBI to investigate Woods. The investigators stated that “Woods intentionally left DNA samples out of tests or reports and sometimes would test samples until the results showed what she wanted.”
According to attorney Jud Lohnes of the Korey Wise Innocence Project at University of Colorado, Boulder Law, “She doctored testing results to avoid testing.” Lohnes reiterated that the misconduct had a massive impact on the lives of defendants who were denied the opportunity to prove their innocence through DNA testing and on victims who were denied justice by identifying the perpetrator.
CBS News reported that the CBI identified 107 cases with anomalies in the 1st Judicial District. It reported that “The district attorney’s office said 56 of those cases were never filed by police, and 51 were prosecuted.”
According to Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty, “…DNA evidence played a really important role, and the misconduct by Missy Woods had an incredibly damaging effect on our ability to do justice for the case.” He continued to emphasize that returning to old cases inflicted unresolved emotional pain on victims who experienced renewed distress as their cases were revisited.
During the court proceeding, 1st Judicial District Attorney Alexis King stated, “Despite Colorado law allowing for these offenses to be probation eligible, this disposition guarantees a prison sentence and eliminates any possibility of a community-based sentence.”
According to CBS News, a plea agreement between Woods and prosecutors called for the dismissal of 100 additional charges she had been facing in exchange for her guilty plea. It reported that “Woods agreed to a stipulated sentence of between eight and 16 years of prison as part of the guilty plea agreement.”
CBS News reported that the CBI launched an investigation after discovering manipulated data in cases that raised doubts about more than 1,000 cases in which Woods was involved. It reported, “The agency [looked] at cases from 1994 to 2023.”
Investigators found evidence, according to CBS News, indicating that in more than 30 sexual assault cases, Woods deleted findings by “submitting reports that said no male DNA was found, when there was…male DNA or possible contamination that should have been retested.”
CBS News also reported that, in light of the revelations, a man who served 12 years in prison after being convicted in 2012 of the 1994 murder of Marty Grisham was released. CBS News reported that Michael Clark was “released from prison in April 2025…after his lawyers say DNA evidence in the case was mishandled by Woods. Michael Clark spent 12 years behind bars but always maintained his innocence.”
According to Lohnes, the circumstances surrounding the case prompted the passage of a bill designed to create opportunities for people to report misconduct while establishing procedures for doing so. He stated that two clients whose evidence had been tested by Woods “did not receive a notice from the district attorney, because it got lost in the shuffle in CBI’s review.”
Lohnes explained that the cost of the investigation, which has exceeded $11 million, has complicated efforts to address the fallout. He said, “There are so many cases, and so many defendants, and so few attorneys who are capable of doing this work, that it’s going to take a long, long time to truly find out how many people were affected by our misconduct.”
In the words of Alexis King, “Today, Ms. Woods accepted responsibility not only for individual acts of misconduct but for the full scope of criminal conduct that spanned decades.”
Michael Dougherty echoed that sentiment, stating, “Today’s guilty plea certainly cements that what she did was absolutely wrong and criminal, and against the public interest.”
CBI Director Armando Saldate said the agency is implementing reforms to strengthen compliance, stating, “This moment is not about moving on, for CBI, it’s about moving forward…Today’s guilty plea is an important moment of accountability.”
According to Lohnes, “The Innocence Project is looking at multiple cases involving Woods’ work.”
Woods’ sentencing hearing was scheduled for Sept. 8.
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