Adams684 (@Adams684)

https://people.com/crime-analyst-gets-10-years-after-manipulating-dna-data-throwing-hundreds-of-cases-into-question-12114774 Yvonne “Missy” Woods, 66, was sentenced to 10 years in state prison on Tuesday, Sept. 8, Colorado’s First Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced in a press release. 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. “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.