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Human Trafficking Concerns Resurface as Epstein Files Cite Colorado Links
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The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Human Trafficking Concerns Resurface as Epstein Files Cite Colorado Links

By Rachael Wright | The Denver Gazette With the U.S. Department of Justice’s release of 3 million more files pertaining to convicted sex felon Jeffrey Epstein, multiple written mentions of alleged connections to Colorado towns and business owners have come to light. A word search of the documents for “Colorado” generates 1,485 hits, with inquiries for cities including Denver and Aspen generating several thousands more.  Chad McWhinney, a Colorado real estate developer and chairman and co-founder of Realberry, a Denver-based real estate organization, was referenced in an email exchange to Epstein on Nov. 1, 2014. Also included in the files was a pho...
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Colorado Human Trafficking Cases Reach Alarming High In 2025
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Just The News, Approved, State

Colorado Human Trafficking Cases Reach Alarming High In 2025

By Derek Draplin | Just the News The analysis by Common Sense Institute Colorado uses data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. But the institute said the state’s data is undercounted due to data-entry lag, noting 2025 human trafficking numbers could end up exceeding record levels from 2023. Colorado saw “peak levels” for human trafficking in 2025 even without complete data for the year, a new analysis warns. The analysis by Common Sense Institute Colorado uses data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. But the institute said the state’s data is undercounted due to data-entry lag, noting 2025 human trafficking numbers could end up exceeding record levels from 2023. ...
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DNA deception? Colorado crime lab analyst under fire delays arraignment
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Fox31, Approved, State

DNA deception? Colorado crime lab analyst under fire delays arraignment

BY VICENTE ARENAS | KDVR FOX 31 GOLDEN, Colo. (KDVR) — The defense attorney representing Yvonne Missy Woods asked a district judge on Monday for a continuance of her arraignment. Attorney Tom Ward told the judge his team needed more time to look more new evidence that they must now look at in the case. “Just this morning, we received a disclosure of another 5,000 pages of stamped materials. Given the length of time that the allegations cover, and the breadth of the materials that we have to deal with. We are asking to set this for October 27,” Ward said. The judge granted the continuance. Woods, a former CBI forensic analyst, is accused of more than 100 felony counts for her work at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. READ THE COMPLETE STORY AT KDVR - FOX 31
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CBI audit report exposes culture of retaliation and compromised cases
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denvergazette.com, Approved, State

CBI audit report exposes culture of retaliation and compromised cases

By Jenny Deam and Luige Del Puerto | Denver Gazette CBI commissioned the assessment in the wake of the DBA scandal that rocked the forensics lab An independent report on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's forensics lab released Tuesday offered a sobering assessment of the beleaguered department, where past leaders ignored internal allegations of misconduct in handling DNA evidence and new leadership was plunged into a crisis that has rocked the public's trust. The new report by Forward Resolutions, a small Wisconsin consulting firm commissioned in January to review procedures in the wake of the scandal at the state crime lab, concluded past CBI leaders were "ill-equipped to handle crises and critical incidents." The report further stated that, even when told of serious irre...
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Justice on hold: Lawmakers race to fix Colorado’s rape kit backlog
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Top Stories, Approved, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Justice on hold: Lawmakers race to fix Colorado’s rape kit backlog

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A backlog of 1,369 untested sexual assault kits at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation delays justice and drives significant costs, per a June 2025 report from the Common Sense Institute. Authored by former Denver DA Mitch Morrissey and Senior Analyst Erik Gamm, the report estimates clearing this backlog could prevent 1,481 crimes—including 1,030 sexual assaults—and save Colorado $234.7 million.  The Yvonne “Missy” Woods scandal, involving manipulated DNA in over a thousand cases since 2014, worsened this crisis, exposing gaps in CBI’s processes.  Two bills, HB25-1275 and SB25-304, address these issues, as Rep. Matt Soper (R-Delta), co-sponsor of HB25-1275, detailed in a Rocky Mountain Voice interview. The Wo...
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In response to CBI scandal, lawmakers seek mandatory reporting, investigation of misconduct
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

In response to CBI scandal, lawmakers seek mandatory reporting, investigation of misconduct

By Marianne Goodland | Colorado Politics As calls mounted for policymakers to address the DNA scandal swirling at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, legislators requested a state audit and introduced two bills, one of which seeks to require mandatory reporting and investigation of misconduct.   In a news conference on Thursday, lawmakers said that's one factor that was was lacking in the case involving a once-revered DNA scientist at the state lab.  House Bill 1275 is about transparency, said Reps. Matt Soper, R-Delta, and Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins, and Sen. Lisa Frizell, R-Castle Rock. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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‘This is unacceptable’: Review of former CBI DNA scientist’s 10,786 cases causes rape evidence logjam
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

‘This is unacceptable’: Review of former CBI DNA scientist’s 10,786 cases causes rape evidence logjam

By Jenny Deam | Colorado Politics, via The Gazette The time to process a rape kit in Colorado has now nearly doubled, leaving victims in limbo due to the continuing scandal at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the director of the embattled agency told lawmakers Wednesday. While in November 2023 it took an average of 275 days to analyze the DNA evidence in a sexual assault case at the forensic lab, it now takes on average 517 days, admitted CBI Director Chris Schaefer in testimony before the legislature's joint judiciary committee. "This is unacceptable," Schaefer acknowledged. READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS
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Groups accuse Colorado Bureau of Investigation of skirting oversight in forensic lab investigation
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Approved, coloradopolitics.com, State

Groups accuse Colorado Bureau of Investigation of skirting oversight in forensic lab investigation

By Jenny Deam | The Gazette, via Colorado Politics Two groups accused the Colorado Bureau of Investigation of skirting a federally required oversight process to investigate misconduct in its forensics lab, adding to mounting allegations of wrongdoing at the embattled agency. In a five-page letter dated Wednesday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado and the Korey Wise Innocence Project demanded more accountability and transparency in the CBI’s ongoing investigation of its former star forensic scientist, Yvonne Woods, known as Missy, who was found to have mishandled, falsified or deleted DNA findings for years at the lab. Those problems have thrown into question the fate of an unknown but potentially vast number of past criminal convictions in Colorado that reli...
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