LAKEWOOD — The head of the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said the department for years missed signs that a now-convicted forensic scientist was manipulating data and that the bureau has made significant changes to ensure something similar does not happen again.
After former DNA analyst Yvonne “Missy” Woods was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Tuesday, CBI Director Armando Saldate and Forensic Services Deputy Director Lance Allen apologized for Woods’ actions and said there could have been better safeguards put in place when questions about her work were raised more than 10 years ago.
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“What we do know is Missy was very manipulative and skilled at what she was doing,” Saldate said. “But was it a missed opportunity? I believe so.”
Saldate and Allen spoke at a press conference Wednesday and then sat down exclusively with Denver7 Investigates on Thursday. Both men stressed that Woods did not alter data in a way that would have convicted an innocent suspect. However, they said she did falsify information to reduce the amount of DNA present in samples, making cases weaker.
“Woods was engaged in criminal activity, and similar to any criminal, she covered her tracks,” Allen said.
Woods, 66, pleaded guilty in June to four counts of perjury, forgery, cybercrime and attempting to influence a public servant. She worked at CBI for nearly 30 years and her data manipulation impacted more than 1,000 cases. So far, it's cost $7.6 million to retest evidence, according to CBI.
At the press conference, Saldate and Allen said the bureau had already made changes to its operation to ensure more oversight during testing after recommendations from an audit.
“I will say there was a heavy focus on strengthening quality assurance protocols and expanded oversight so that misconduct can never occur again,” Saldate said. “Several of (the audit’s) recommendations have already been implemented, and others continuing to be put into place.”
Saldate and Allen said CBI has increased staff in the their quality unit by 80% and implemented 34 policy improvements, along with three new quality control programs to test the system from all directions to ensure accuracy and compliance.
There's also a possibility of removing forensic services from CBI entirely by creating an independent oversight outside law enforcement.
“I think we should be open to their scrutiny of our work,” Saldate said, adding that it will require more money from the state.
On Tuesday, the Colorado State Public Defender issued a statement, alleging that CBI has "still not sufficiently addressed the pervasive systemic and structural issues that this scandal has exposed." The statement continued to call for independent oversight on the state laboratory.
“It has been very hard to get information over time, and so the scope of the misconduct and the number of years that it occurred really shocks the conscience,” said James Karbach, director of legislative policy and external communications at the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office. “The fact that at the earliest sign of a problem, it wasn't appropriately handled is among the more shocking details.”
Saldate disputed notions that the bureau has not been transparent.
“I understand where he's coming from, but I have to say I disagree,” Saldate said on Thursday. “To say that those things and to say we haven't changed and to say that we haven't been transparent, I just I would leave that for the public to decide because we've shown it and we continue to show it. And we also are driven by the fact that it's not enough. We need to still do more.”
Issues were first discovered in 2014 when scientist found an empty DNA spreadsheet cell when reviewing Woods' work. That incident was not escalated to top laboratory leaders, Allen said.
In 2018, an anomaly regarding another empty spreadsheet cell was discovered and reported to laboratory management. The reviewer believed it was empty due to intentional deletion. Allen said Woods was removed from casework at the time, and the technical leader was assigned to review her work. Woods' work from the prior six months was reexamined and no other issues were discovered.
"Woods claimed the anomaly was caused by mental fatigue and stress. Without additional evidence of misconduct, Woods was returned to casework after receiving counseling," Allen said on Wednesday. "We know this review was insufficient. The laboratory leaders at the time had a claim of intentional deletion by a coworker, and they did not escalate the concern outside the laboratory, based on the lack of additional evidence.”
Allen equated Woods' manipulation to a magic trick — saying that while the audience may have been deceived, when the mechanics of the trick are revealed it begins to make sense.
In 2023, an intern who was part of a research project found an empty spreadsheet cell. Allen said the intern did not uncover criminal behavior or understand the significance of the empty cell, but their findings were investigated by CBI's DNA technical team.
Woods was again removed from casework, placed on administrative leave, and the internal affairs investigation was requested.
At her sentencing Tuesday, Woods admitted to manipulating low-level DNA results to allow cases to move forward without additional testing. She said she did so in order to clear a backlog of cases.
“Could there have been better supervision? Could there have been better safeguards? Yes, absolutely. Hindsight will tell you that,” Saldate said, adding that Woods’ actions only made the backlog worse in the end.
The state’s rape kit backlog had already been a problem for years, and still takes on average 175 days to complete. And the delays expand beyond rape kits, firearms and ballistic testing still takes 350 days on average before results are returned to investigators, according to CBI’s most recent data.
“We're doing everything in our power and within our resources to make that better,” Saldate said.
As a result of the intensive investigation into Woods, a backlog of sexual assault evidence kit testing at CBI. After Woods left the agency in November 2023, half of the lab work done in 2024 at CBI was dedicated to reviewing her cases.
State lawmakers granted $3 million dollars to CBI to help clear the backlog of DNA evidence and sexual assault kit tests with the assistance of private, external labs.
CBI originally estimated reaching their goal — a 90-day turnaround timeline — by April of 2027. The agency is ahead of schedule, and now believes it will hithat turnaround time by November.
In addition, CBI has reduced the backlog by 67%.
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