DENVER — A forensic scientist who worked on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's DNA testing is under investigation for anomalies in her work, CBI said on Monday.
The anomalies in Yvonne "Missy" Woods' work were found as part of an internal process in which a sampling of cases was reviewed. Woods, who no longer works for CBI, was a 29-year veteran of CBI's Forensic Services, according to a news release.
Records indicate Woods worked on some of the state's most notable cases, including the 2004 rape trial of Kobe Bryant, the 2008 conviction of a Weld County woman for killing her lover's wife, the hammer killings of an Aurora family, and at least two cold cases -- one in Douglas County and one in Lakewood.
CBI said it is notifying public safety agencies as it reviews which cases are potentially impacted. CBI said it is also reviewing Woods' work and the testing procedures and processes of the Forensic Services.
“These are extremely serious allegations, and I want to assure the public and our public safety partners that the CBI is committed to conducting a complete review of this matter to ensure the integrity of this critical function remains intact,” said Stan Hilkey, executive director of the Department of Public Safety, in the release.
Several Colorado district attorneys' offices told 9NEWS they don't yet know what specific problem CBI is looking into.
District Attorney Heidi McCollum, who prosecutes cases in Clear Creek, Summit, Eagle and Lake counties, said her office had received notice of the CBI investigation.
Without further details, McCollum said she could not say whether there would be implications for cases her team prosecuted. However, she said her office would begin examining whether Woods was involved in those convictions.
"Our job is to do justice. If we rely on data that is questionable in any case, then we’re not doing justice," McCollum said.
It is not clear how big of an issue this could be, but the serious allegations are catching the attention of defense attorneys. One criminal defense attorney said issues with DNA could impact sexual assault and murder cases.
9NEWS Legal Expert Scott Robinson said this has the potential to impact verdicts.
"This could be the biggest can of worms ever for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation if it turns out this tech had a responsible position doing analysis of DNA in criminal cases," Robinson said. "To have a CBI forensic analyst investigated for some sort of wrongdoing, that is troublesome."
CBI said it is conducting an internal affairs investigation in conjunction with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and is working to find an outside state investigative agency to conduct a criminal investigation.
Ryan Brackley, Woods' attorney, said in a statement that "Woods has been a loyal, dedicated and well-respected forensic scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for close to 30 years. She’s worked with and trained generations of prosecutors, scientists and law enforcement agents over those years. Ms Woods expects nothing less than a full, complete and professional investigation into these allegations and has already communicated her intent to cooperate with CBI’s inquiry. Ms Woods will have no further statement at this time.”
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