Josephine Chatraw Missing Person Case

Jul 01, 2010

Mar 12, 2024

Josephine

Chatraw

78

36

63 inches

125 lbs

White / Caucasian

Female

On July 29, 1984, Josephine Carroll Chatraw, a 36-year-old mother of five, disappeared from her home in Syracuse, New York. The last known contact with her was a phone call she made to her sister around 1:00 a.m. from her residence on Seymour Street. During the call, she expressed that she was upset following a dispute with her boyfriend, Philip S. Whaley Sr. When her family was unable to reach her, her sisters officially reported her missing on August 3, 1984. At the time of her disappearance, it is believed she was wearing a white blouse and blue jeans. She may have also been wearing a silver chain with a small heart on her left hand and a mother-of-pearl ring in a silver setting on her right hand. The investigation into Josephine's disappearance quickly focused on her boyfriend, Philip Whaley, with whom she had a tumultuous and violent relationship. A neighbor reported witnessing Whaley physically assaulting Josephine in the hallway on the night she was last seen, punching her multiple times before dragging her into her apartment by her hair. Whaley, however, told police that after they argued about his infidelity, he went to shave, and when he came out, she was gone. He claimed he later saw her walking alone down the street. This was not the first documented instance of violence; just weeks before she vanished, Whaley had been charged with assault and unlawful imprisonment for allegedly holding her against her will. Josephine had confided in her sister that Whaley had threatened to kill her and hide her body so that no one would ever find it. For years, Josephine's case remained a painful mystery for her five children and loved ones. A significant break came years later, leading to Whaley's trial in 1996. He was charged not only with Josephine's murder but also with the 1992 murder of another woman, Margaret Reiley. During the trial, a friend of Whaley's testified that Whaley had admitted to killing Josephine and burying her body in a wooded area. In a landmark case for Onondaga County, Philip Whaley was convicted of both murders and sentenced to 50 years to life in prison. It was the first time in the county's history that a murder conviction was secured without the victim's body and was also the first trial to feature DNA evidence. In 2011, Whaley admitted he was responsible for the deaths of both women, though he claimed they were not intentional. He offered to lead authorities to their bodies, but searches for Josephine's remains proved unsuccessful. Despite the conviction of her killer, Josephine Chatraw has never been found. The case remains a profound loss for her family, who have been left without answers regarding her final resting place.

Jul 29, 1984

Syracuse

New York

Onondaga County

8757

Syracuse Police Department

Syracuse

New York

Onondaga County

13202

511 S. State Street, New York

3154425111

Local

Law Enforcement

84-88980

Syracuse Police Department

Brown

Brown

Brown

09/03/2026