SAN FRANCISCO — Jeffrey “JV” Vandergrift, the popular radio personality of Wild 94.9 who co-hosted the hit Doghouse show in the 1990s and 2000s, is a missing person and considered a risk, police say.
Vandergrift, 54, was last seen around 11 p.m. on Feb. 23, near his home at 200 King Street in San Francisco. Police are asking the public for help in locating him and are asking anyone who sees him to call them at 415-575-4444.
He is described as being 6 feet 10 inches and bald, with brown eyes, and was last seen wearing black sweatpants, police say. He is listed at 180 pounds, but recent photos of him on social media show him much skinnier.
In the 1990s, Vandergrift co-founded the Doghouse Show with co-host Dan “Elvis” Lay and Lance “Hollywood” Otani on KYLD, now known as Wild 94.9. It grew to be the most popular morning radio show in the Bay Area, thanks in large part to on-air antics such as prank calls, stunts and raunchy topical humor.
After an on-air controversy, Lay and Vandergrift moved to New York, but in recent years Vandergrift returned to the Bay Area with his wife, model Natasha Yi, and began hosting his own show, the JV Show, on Wild 94.9.
In 2021, Vandergrift took a long hiatus, leading to widespread speculation about the reason behind his absence. In April 2022, in an emotional return to the airwaves, Vandergrift revealed that he had been diagnosed with a severe case of Lyme disease that was causing brain fog and other symptoms that forced his absence. He also discussed dealing with self-harm ideas and vowed to return to work whenever he could.
The most recent social media posts on his Twitter page, @JV, are a light-hearted post portraying his co-hosts as teenagers through a photo filter asking for donations for a listener whose loved one recently passed away. His biography encourages people to “keep love, compassion, understanding, forgiveness of truth, peace and hope for others.”
Wild 94.9 issued a statement Friday saying “we are deeply concerned” about Vandergrift’s disappearance and are working closely with SFPD and his wife to help.
“We are sending love, thoughts and prayers to JV and will share more information as we receive it,” the statement reads.
Police encourage anyone with information to call 415-575-4444 or text TIP411 with a tip and begin the text message with “SFPD.”
