Wife of popular Wild 94.9 radio host JV says new information suggests ‘he will not be coming back’

SAN FRANCISCO — Six days after popular Bay Area radio host Jeffrey “JV” Vandergrift mysteriously disappeared from his San Francisco home, his wife put out a statement saying new evidence suggests he “will not be coming back.”

In a letter to the community posted on social media, Vandergrift’s wife, Natasha Yi, thanked supporters for concern and efforts in helping find her husband, and said he’s still officially considered a missing person.

“JV and I have always considered this community part of our family, so I want to let you know that personal information has recently been discovered that leads us to believe JV will not be coming back,” Yi wrote. “I tell you this with incredible pain and sadness in my heart.”

Yi said police have asked her to keep specific details to “immediate family only.”

“Please forgive my silence during this time. My heart is utterly broken and the pain feels unbearable,” she wrote.

She added that “no foul play” is suspected in his disappearance and that the San Francisco Police Department investigation is continuing. Police have not released new information since last Friday, when they announced he was missing and considered at-risk, and encouraged anyone with information on his whereabouts to call in.

Vandergrift, a longtime morning show host at Wild 94.9, co-founded and co-hosted the popular Doghouse show during the early 1990s. The show soared in popularity, mostly due to on-air antics, stunts, pranks and raunchy humor. After the Doghouse moved to New York and eventually disbanded, Vandergrift returned to Wild 94.9 to host “The JV Show.” After his return to the Bay Area, Vandergrift reunited with his co-host on the Doghouse, Elvis “Dan” Lay, for an AM talk show and recurring podcast.

Last year, after a hiatus that spanned several months, Vandergrift revealed publicly he’d been diagnosed with Lyme disease in 2021 and had suffered greatly through brain fog and other severe symptoms. He said on air that his illness had gone undiagnosed for a lengthy period before he was advised to get tested for Lyme disease.

In his April 2022 return to the airwaves, he also openly discussed dealing with suicidal ideations, but said he was working to return to work full time. Yi’s statement called his two years with the disease “physical torture.”

Despite the hiatus, Vandergrift stayed fairly active on social media. One of his final Twitter posts, in typical fashion, was to solicit donations for a listener going through a personal tragedy.