Carolina Criminal Defense & DUI Lawyer UpdatesCharlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) lab analyst Kelly Elizabeth Shea faces a misdemeanor obstruction of justice charge related to a March 4, 2024 laboratory analysis. According to September 21, 2026 reporting by WSOC-TV investigators allege an intentional control-sample switch and a misleading report.
Citing a letter from Crime Lab Director Matthew Mathis, the Charlotte Observer in March 2025 described a problematic failed positive control followed by the alleged substitution of material known to produce the expected positive result. A positive control uses known DNA to help establish whether the testing process worked properly. That is the function described in the FBI’s forensic DNA standards.
If the allegation is true, someone apparently encountered a failed check and took action to purposely (and criminally) replace it with a successful one. The apparent immediate purpose was to make that check appear acceptable. Why the analyst allegedly chose to do that remains unknown.