A former forensic scientist from Colorado has admitted to manipulating DNA data in numerous cases, pleading guilty to four felony charges, RadarOnline.com reports. This revelation has cast doubt on the integrity of hundreds of cases she managed.
Yvonne ‘Missy’ Woods, who dedicated nearly three decades to DNA analysis at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, might have been involved in the investigation of JonBenét Ramsey’s unsolved murder. This possibility has deeply unsettled JonBenét’s father, John, who is concerned that his daughter’s case might have been compromised.
Recently, Woods confessed to charges of cybercrime, perjury, attempting to influence a public official, and forgery. As part of her plea deal, 100 additional counts were dismissed.
Authorities have stated that Woods, who left her role in 2023, altered and deleted data to hide evidence tampering. She is believed to have worked on over 10,000 cases with the CBI, potentially deleting information in about 10% of them.
“Today, Ms. Woods took responsibility not only for specific acts of misconduct but for a wide-ranging pattern of criminal behavior that lasted decades,” District Attorney Alexis King commented after the plea deal. “While Colorado law allows probation for these offenses, this agreement ensures a prison sentence and rules out community-based sentencing.”
The investigation into Woods began in 2023 after a CBI intern found missing data in a 2018 case handled by Woods.
Woods could face up to 16 years in prison when sentenced in September. Her misconduct dates back to 2008, and although no evidence links her to tampering with JonBenét’s DNA, the possibility has disturbed her father.
John Ramsey expressed in an interview with NewsNation that many crime scene items were sent for testing, but some were not. “We always kind of wondered why. I mean, items that should have been sampled, but they weren’t, I don’t know whether it was a cost issue or they already found unidentified male DNA, so why go any further?” he said.
It was previously disclosed that JonBenét’s primary DNA was analyzed by an external lab, not the CBI.
The six-year-old was discovered dead in her family’s basement the day after Christmas in 1996, and John continues to search for answers about the tragic crime.
“We’ve advocated for a year almost that we use forensic genetic genealogy, FGG, which is kind of the latest tool that’s out there,” John stated in the interview. “You have to go to an outside lab, but it’s got to be one that knows how to do it.”
Earlier this year, forensic pathologist Dr. Henry Lee, who was involved in the early DNA investigations of the case, passed away at 87. JonBenét’s mother, Patsy, succumbed to ovarian cancer in 2006 without discovering who was behind her daughter’s murder.
Over the years, John has criticized the Boulder Police Department for mishandling the investigation.
