In 2021, San Francisco DJ Jeffrey “JV” Vandergrift was diagnosed with Lyme disease. The diagnosis messed with him physically, but he struggled even more mentally than physically.
Earlier this year, on what would end up being his very last radio show, Vandergrift opened up about things he was struggling with. He told his listeners, “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.”
Vandergrift went missing on February 23, 2023. Prior to his disappearance, he changed his Twitter location to “the other side” and posted a message on Instagram thanking fans for “a wonderful life-filed w joy, laughs, pain & struggle.” He wrote the message in the past tense. He continued, “It’s been a great journey. Your support & prayers meant the world.”
On March 1st, Vandergrift was still missing, but his wife, Natasha Yi, turned to Instagram to update fans and followers about the search. She wrote, “I want to let you know that personal information has recently been discovered that leads us to believe JV will not be coming back. I tell you this with incredible pain and sadness in my heart.” Yi asked that everyone still “keep JV in your thoughts and prayers.”
Now, more than a month after his disappearance, Vandergrift’s body has been found. Once again, Yi posted the sad news on Instagram. This time she also shared a series of photos of herself with Vandergrift. The couple had been married since 2006.
In the update post, Yi wrote, “I struggle to write this to you as I can barely breathe or see through the pain and tears. As many of you have already heard, the SFPD found JV.” She added, “Every moment he was missing was agonizing for me. But the pain I feel now is something I have never felt before. My heart is crushed, and I cannot see myself ever moving forward, ever feeling joy or being at peace.”
Yi went on to describe how much she knows Vandergrift loved his work, his family and his fans. She added, “I know he loved me as much as I love him. Our bond was truly unmatched. JV did not want to leave any of us.”
She did not include details of how or why Vandergrift died. Watch the video below to learn more about Vandergrift’s career and where police found his body.
