Missing Journalist Ray Taliaferro Found Dead in Kentucky, Family Says

Ray Taliaferro (Credit: GoFundMe.com)

The body of former Bay Area journalist Ray Taliaferro has been found in Kentucky, his family said Sunday night.

The announcement came via a GoFundMe page to help assist with the search for the missing radio icon.

“It is with great sadness that the Taliaferro family has to announce the passing of Ray Taliaferro,” the family statement said. “His body was found in Paducah, Kentucky in a wooded area approximately a mile from where he was last seen. The family appreciates the support and help we received in our search for Ray. This is a devastating ending to our search for him over these past weeks. The family is in the process of working with the police to learn the matters surrounding his death. At this time, we are processing this turn of events and ask for privacy as we work through our loss.”

Taliaferro, 79, was reported missing on Nov. 10.

The radio personality, who for decades worked as a host at KGO 810 radio, was last seen near the “Mellow Mushroom” pizza restaurant in Paducah, according to a missing person’s flier distributed by the Paducah Police Department.

The flier said Taliaferro had been talking to a manager at the restaurant, and he may have been experiencing “disorientation and signs of dementia.”

On Sunday, Taliaferro’s son told KGO television in San Francisco that his father’s body was found behind Brooks Stadium in Paducah.

The television station reported that the FBI is assisting in the investigation.

Taliaferro was a longtime member of the National Association of Black Journalists. On Sunday night, the organization posted a statement about his passing on social media.

“NABJ expresses condolences to the family and friends of Ray Taliaferro. The NABJ is saddened to hear of his passing,” the statement said.

In 2011, the broadcast veteran was inducted into the NABJ Hall of Fame. The journalism organization also created the Ray Taliaferro NABJ Entrepreneurial Spirit Award in his honor.