Body of missing radio host found in San Francisco Bay a month after disappearance
Popular San Francisco radio host Jeffrey “JV” Vandergrift has been found dead a month after he was reported missing.
Local police and firefighters retrieved human remains from San Francisco Bay, near Pier 39, on Wednesday (22 March) evening.
The body was later identified as 55-year-old Vandergrift by the city’s Chief Medical Examiner, putting an end to a month-long search.
Police were first notified of his disappearance on 23 February, hours after he had hosted his radio show earlier that day.
“At this time, we have no evidence of foul play,” San Francisco Police Sergeant Adam Lobsinger said in a statement per the San Francisco Chronicle. His official cause of death has yet to be confirmed.
Vandergrift was well-known to local audiences as the host of Wild 94.9 radio’s The JV Show, which he co-hosted along with his wife, Natasha Yi.
“With a heavy heart, we must confirm that the body found near Pier 39 Wednesday afternoon has been identified as our dear friend, family member and colleague, JV,” the station wrote in a statement (per the Chronicle).
“We are devastated to know now that JV is gone. Please keep his wife, Natasha, his family and close friends in your thoughts and prayers. JV, we’ll miss you. You are forever a Bay Area icon.”
Over the last couple of years, Vandergrift had reportedly been suffering from pain, fatigue, and anxiety. In 2021, he was diagnosed with Lyme Disease, which he spoke about openly on air.
Weeks after he vanished, Yi posted on Instagram that “personal information” had been discovered, leading her to believe Vandergrift “would not be coming back”. “I tell you this with incredible pain and sadness in my heart,” she added.
“You are the love of my life. I will love you for eternity,” she captioned a subsequent post, alongside a photo collage of the two of them.
