Body found in San Francisco Bay identified as longtime radio disc jockey Jeffrey “JV” Vandergrift

Jeffrey Vandergrift, a longtime and popular San Francisco radio host and disc jockey known as DJ JV, has been pronounced dead after going missing last month.

A light found yesterday in San Francisco Bay near Pier 39 has been identified by the coroner as 55-year-old Vandergrift. The police do not accept third party negligence.

A statement issued today by radio station Wild 94.9 read: “It is with a heavy heart that we confirm that the body found at Pier 39 on Wednesday afternoon has been identified as our dear friend, family member and colleague JV. We are devastated to know that JV is gone. Please keep his wife Natasha, family and close friends in your thoughts and prayers.”

Since Vandergrift was last seen alive on Feb. 23, the search for him has intrigued San Franciscos, especially the fan base he built over his three-decade radio career.

Earlier this month, his wife Natasha Vandergrift tweeted a statement thanking i-HeartRadio and its listeners and confirming that “personal information was recently discovered that leads us to believe that JV will not be returning.”

“I tell you this with incredible pain and sadness in my heart,” she wrote.

The radio host arrived last year with a diagnosis of Lyme disease and the toll it was taking on his health, including persistent brain fog. He has been open about dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts and says his illness went undiagnosed for a long time before Lyme confirmation.

In her resignation letter earlier this month, Natasha Vandergrift wrote: “The sympathy for the physical torture that JV has endured over the past two years is overwhelming.”

When you or someone you know is struggling with difficult life circumstances or uncomfortable thoughts and emotions, call 988 or text to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.