A month after going missing, San Francisco radio presenter Jeffrey Vandergrift’s body was discovered. He was 55.
The San Francisco Police Department received a missing person complaint on February 23 for the radio personality, also known as JV.
The corpse was discovered in the water at Pier 39 just before 5 o’clock on March 22nd, according to the police. The police further stated that there was no proof of wrongdoing.
Vandergrift’s radio station acknowledged the death of their colleague in a Twitter tweet on Thursday.
“With a heavy heart, we must confirm that the body found near Pier 39 on Wednesday afternoon has been identified as our dear friend, family member & colleague, JV,” the radio station wrote.
“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 will miss you. You are forever a Bay Area icon pic.twitter.com/9A6oGYHEkt
— WiLD 94.9 (@Wild949) March 23, 2023
Vandergrift initially went missing after telling listeners about odd brain issues he was having.
Later, it was revealed that he had changed the caption of an Instagram post to express gratitude to his followers for a “wonderful life.”
The National Radio Day celebration in his August 2022 Instagram post was edited to a past-tense thank-you to his fans.
“Thank you for a wonderful life-filed w joy, laughs, pain & struggle. It’s been a great journey. Your support & prayers meant the world,” the caption now reads.
His wife, Natasha Yi, also an on-air radio personality, addressed her husband’s disappearance on March 2, as per people saying that they believe he “will not be coming” despite working with authorities to find him.
Vandergrift married model Yi after three years of dating in 2006, and they later reaffirmed their vows in 2017.
Two weeks after he vanished, the radio station where he worked paid homage to him.
Wild 94.9 posted facts about Vandergrift’s life on social media on March 8 while honoring him for 30 years of entertainment in the Bay Area.
“Thanks for the laughs. Thanks for the love. Thank you, JV,” the station wrote.
Vandergrift began his show, The Dog House, on Hot 97.7 in San Jose before moving it to 107.7 – now known as Wild 94.9 – in San Francisco.
According to a post from 2021, the radio DJ was diagnosed with Lyme illness.
He took some time off to deal with his ailment.
He had alerted listeners about health problems he was having only hours before disappearing. On his farewell program, he warned listeners that physicians were looking into something that may have “reignited” past infections.
“The body and the pain and all that stuff, I can handle. What it’s doing to my brain I could never describe to you,” he said Thursday morning.
Vandergrift was last seen at his King Street residence at 10 p.m. and was reported missing to the San Francisco Police Department less than 24 hours later.
According to Vandergrift, doctors have even lately suggested to him using out-of-the-box treatments or procedures to address the issues.
“The stuff I’ve been going through in my brain that they’re trying to figure out. Ugh,” he told Wild 94.9 listeners.
Source: Roundnews24
