In a sad and shocking statement, the wife of Jeffery “JV” Vandergrift, a notable San Francisco radio DJ, shared that “he will not be coming back” and implied he committed suicide.
Vandergrift’s wife, Natasha Yi, reported the DJ missing on Feb. 23. The longtime host of the FM station’s Wild 94.9 alluded to significant health problems during his last broadcast.
In Yi’s update, shared to the radio station’s Instagram account, she noted her husband struggled with Lyme disease. His symptoms caused depression, pain and mental fog issues.
Yi shared: “The amount of compassion for the physical torture JV has been going through for the past 2 years has been overwhelming. I have been in so much pain and fear and I know all of you have been so scared and concerned for JV as well.”
“JV and I have always considered this community part of our family,” Yi added, “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. I tell you this with incredible pain and sadness in my heart.”
The Instagram post notes that police do not suspect foul play and still consider Vandergrift a missing person.
Yi noted: “We are incredibly appreciative for the SFPD’s ongoing efforts in locating JV and they have asked us to keep the details to immediate family only. I know how painful this is for you to hear — please know that I have you in my thoughts.”
Yi, also a Wild 94.9 DJ, requested listeners to give her time to process, saying, “my heart is utterly broken, and the pain feels unbearable. I will do my best to provide updates and I ask for you to please keep JV in your thoughts and prayers.”
Doctors diagnosed Vandergrift with Lyme disease in 2021.
The DJ told his audience: “The stuff I’ve been going through in my brain that they’re trying to figure out. Ugh,” he said during Thursday morning’s show. “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 explained that receiving a diagnosis was very challenging, noting that during the eight-month process, he experienced debilitating “brain fog,” headaches, dizziness, extreme bouts of depression and other adverse symptoms.
Yi noted that at one point, while her husband struggled to understand what was happening, she found Vandergrift passed out in their car. She recalled:
“I snuck out of the closet and headed downstairs with a backpack and a blanket that had a picture of Natasha and I on it. I then went to the car and wrapped myself in the blanket. I started guzzling alcohol as I swallowed handfuls of all the sleep and psych meds.”
The New York Post noted that Vandergrift “edited the caption of his most recent Instagram post around the time he vanished, writing: ‘Thank you for a wonderful life-filed w joy, laughs, pain & struggle. It’s been a great journey.'”
The location notion on his last Twitter post read “the other side.”
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