BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — New information has been released as the investigation into a Buffalo police officer accused of murder continues.
Over the weekend, 53-year-old Lance Woods, a Buffalo police officer, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after Lewiston police found his wife, 35-year-old Alexis Skoczylas, dead inside their home on Buffalo Street in Sanborn. 7 News has learned that she was found with a single gunshot wound to the head.
On Wednesday, the Buffalo Police Department said it is conducting an internal investigation to determine whether departmental policies, procedures, and professional standards were followed.
In addition, the department announced that Woods has been suspended without pay, effective February 16, and a Buffalo police captain has been suspended with pay pending an internal review.
The department provided the following timeline of events as the investigation into the incident continues and said the captain who has been suspended with pay is the only captain referenced in the timeline.
Saturday, February 14
- Saturday a.m. – Alexis Skoczylas’s approximate time of death
- 4:30 p.m. – Skoczylas’s mother calls Buffalo Police Department’s E-District and asks if someone can get in touch with Officer Lance Woods because she does not have a phone number for him
- 4:33 p.m. – Buffalo Police Captain is alerted to the situation and given Skoczylas’s mother information
- 4:42 p.m. – Buffalo Police Captain calls the E-District lieutenant and informs the lieutenant that Officer Woods will have Skoczylas call her mother back in an hour; the lieutenant calls the mother and relays this information
- 5:12 p.m. – Skoczylas’s sister calls the Erie County non-emergency phone number and is redirected to Niagara County
- 5:30 p.m. – Skoczylas’s mother calls E-District and says she still has not heard from her daughter; she also relays that the Lewiston Police Department is on the scene at Skoczylas’s residence and that no one is home; she is directed to Buffalo Police Captain
- 7:00 p.m. – Lewiston Police call E-District looking to speak to a supervisor; this information is relayed to Buffalo Police Captain
- 7:52 p.m. – Buffalo Police Captain has a discussion with Officer Woods in person at the D-District station house and calls Lewiston Police with him in her presence, confirming Officer Woods has two children with him
- 8 p.m. – Shift change at D-District station house
- 8:05 p.m. – Officer Woods leaves; Buffalo Police Captain notifies E-District that he arrived with kids and that they are all leaving the D-District station house
Sunday, February 15
- Shortly after 12 a.m. – Lewiston Police discover Skoczylas’s body at her residence
- 12:45 a.m. – Buffalo Police Department is informed that Skoczylas is a homicide victim and that Officer Woods is a person of interest
- 1:10 a.m. – Buffalo Police provide investigative resources to attempt to locate the vehicle Officer Woods was believed to be driving
- 3 a.m. – Officer Woods is detained by patrol units from Amherst and Cheektowaga Police; Buffalo Police Department leadership learns that Officer Woods was at D-District station house before the shift change
- 7:50 a.m. – Buffalo Police Commissioner Craig Macy officially notifies Buffalo Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division (IAD) of the situation and the Department’s interactions with Skoczylas’s family, Lewiston Police, and Officer Woods
- 8:57 a.m. – On-call IAD investigators are alerted and head out to the Lewiston Police Department shortly thereafter to follow departmental procedures relating to suspensions
- 10:24 a.m. – IAD arrives at Lewiston Police Department, where Officer Woods is being interviewed by Lewiston Police Department investigators
- 11:15 a.m. – IAD suspends Officer Woods with pay
- 3:00 p.m. – Buffalo Police Captain is relieved of duty for the day
- 5:30 p.m. (approximately) – A search warrant to retrieve property is executed on Officer Woods’s locker by the Buffalo Police Department
- 8 p.m. – Buffalo Police Captain is officially suspended with pay pending IAD investigation
Monday, February 16
- Internal charges against Woods are drafted by Buffalo Police Department and signed by Commissioner Macy
- 7:03 p.m. – Officer Woods is served in person by IAD investigators at Orleans Correctional Facility and suspended without pay
7 News spoke with Lewiston Police Chief Michael Salada on Sunday and he said there were no calls to the address in the past for domestic violence. Two children live at the home and are in the care of relatives.
According to court documents, Skoczylas filed for a contested divorce in September 2025.
Buffalo police said Woods has been with the department since January 2008, and at the time of his arrest, held the rank of police officer. He was an active School Resource Officer, but was not stationed at one specific school; he answered calls at all schools in the city. In addition, the last shift he worked before his arrest ended at 4 p.m. on Friday.
The 7 News I- Team learned that Woods is not a member of the Buffalo Police Benevolent Association (PBA) and exercised his Janus rights to leave the union.
The investigation is ongoing. If there is any information relevant to the case, the Lewiston Police Department encourages the public to call their office at 716-754-8477.
The case has been referred to the New York Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) and the Buffalo Police Internal Affairs Division is also investigating.
If you or a loved one has or is currently experiencing domestic violence, the following hotlines are available:
- New York State Domestic Violence 24-Hour Hotline: 1-800-942-6906
- New York State Chat/Text hotline: Text 844-997-2121
- National Domestic Violence 24-Hour Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY)
- Erie County Child and Family Services: 716-884-6000
- Family Justice Center: 716-558-7233
A GoFundMe has been created for the Skoczylas family, which you can find here.
