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Jeffrey ‘JV’ Vandergrift, Wild 94.9 radio host, found dead near Pier 39

A memorial outside iHeart Radio Station for Jeffrey ‘JV’ Vadergrift who hosted Wild 94.9 in San Francisco, CA on March 23, 2023. Vadergrift went missing on Feb. 23, 2023 and was recently found dead in the water off Pier 39. | Justin Katigbak for The Standard

A San Francisco radio host has been found dead in the water off Pier 39 after he went missing last month, the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed on Thursday.

Jeffrey Vandergrift, a host at the Bay Area hit music radio station Wild 94.9, was last seen on Feb. 23 at his home on King Street before going missing with no activity on his phone, credit cards or bank accounts

By early March, Vandergrift’s wife and employer said they believed he wouldn’t be coming back.

Jeffrey Vandergrift, 54, was first reported missing on the night of Feb. 23, 2023, from his home on King Street. | SFPD via Bay City News

“My heart is utterly broken, and the pain feels unbearable,” his wife, Natasha Yi, wrote in a March 1 Instagram post.

Officers who recovered the body found no sign of foul play, according to the San Francisco Police Department.

On Thursday, fans, friends and colleagues of the popular radio DJ took to Twitter to mourn his passing, with many writing that he had served as a familiar and comforting presence in their lives for years.

Prior to his disappearance, Vandergrift had detailed a struggle with Lyme disease in a series of blog updates. He wrote that he had begun experiencing brain fog, dizziness, headaches and other troubling symptoms starting in 2021, leading to an eventual diagnosis. He spoke candidly about his struggles with the illness on his morning show, The JV Show.

Fans and friends have placed flowers and memorabilia outside the iHeartRadio offices in San Francisco honoring the Bay Area radio icon.

A memorial outside iHeart Radio Station for Jeffrey ‘JV’ Vadergrift who hosted Wild 94.9 in San Francisco, CA on March 23, 2023. Vadergrift went missing on Feb. 23, 2023 and was recently found dead in the water off Pier 39. | Justin Katigbak for The Standard

David Sjostedt can be reached at david@sfstandard.com

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