A former forensic analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for falsifying and omitting data in her work. The sentencing, conducted by District Judge Andrew Poland in Golden, Colorado, came after Yvonne "Missy" Woods pleaded guilty in June to charges including perjury, attempted influence of a public servant, forgery, and cybercrime. As part of a plea deal, dozens of other charges against her were dismissed. Woods' misconduct affected numerous criminal cases, including those involving homicide, sexual assault, and robbery. Prosecutors had to re-examine hundreds of cases, and at least one murder conviction was overturned due to the flaws in her work. Before the sentencing, Woods faced a potential prison term of 8 to 16 years. She had worked for the CBI for decades before resigning in 2023. Authorities said Woods altered data to hide her mistakes, deleted records that showed she failed to properly resolve technical issues, and did not fully document her testing procedures. During the sentencing hearing, Woods expressed regret for the harm she caused. "For many years I was entrusted with evidence that could have profound consequences for defendants, victims, families, and the courts. I failed that responsibility," she said. In response to the scandal, the CBI has taken steps to reform its laboratories and rebuild public trust. "The actions of one individual never define this organization," said CBI Director Armando Saldate. The investigation into Woods began in September 2023, when an intern discovered missing information in a case she handled in 2018. According to an arrest affidavit, Woods admitted to altering data to expedite case processing. In one overturned murder case, the defendant, Michael Clark, was released from prison in 2025 after his legal team argued that Woods mishandled DNA evidence. Prosecutors have said they plan to retry him. Woods' actions also impacted plea deals in two homicide cases, where defendants received lighter sentences because prosecutors feared that her involvement could lead to acquittals. Other convictions have been challenged in courts across the state. An internal affairs report from 2024 revealed that concerns about Woods' work had existed for over a decade. As early as 2014, a colleague questioned her testing methods, and in 2018, she was temporarily removed from DNA cases after allegations of data manipulation. State officials estimate that addressing the fallout from her misconduct could cost more than $11 million.