diff --git a/lib/shared/dm-ops/dm-op-utils.js b/lib/shared/dm-ops/dm-op-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/dm-ops/dm-op-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/dm-ops/dm-op-utils.js
@@ -8,7 +8,10 @@
 import { type ProcessDMOperationUtilities } from './dm-op-spec.js';
 import { dmOpSpecs } from './dm-op-specs.js';
 import { useProcessAndSendDMOperation } from './process-dm-ops.js';
-import { setMissingDeviceListsActionType } from '../../actions/aux-user-actions.js';
+import {
+  setMissingDeviceListsActionType,
+  removePeerUsersActionType,
+} from '../../actions/aux-user-actions.js';
 import { useFindUserIdentities } from '../../actions/find-user-identities-actions.js';
 import { useLoggedInUserInfo } from '../../hooks/account-hooks.js';
 import { useGetLatestMessageEdit } from '../../hooks/latest-message-edit.js';
@@ -43,11 +46,15 @@
   userActionsP2PMessageTypes,
 } from '../../types/tunnelbroker/user-actions-peer-to-peer-message-types.js';
 import { updateTypes } from '../../types/update-types-enum.js';
-import type { ClientUpdateInfo } from '../../types/update-types.js';
+import type {
+  AccountDeletionUpdateInfo,
+  ClientUpdateInfo,
+} from '../../types/update-types.js';
 import { getContentSigningKey } from '../../utils/crypto-utils.js';
 import { useSelector, useDispatch } from '../../utils/redux-utils.js';
 import { messageSpecs } from '../messages/message-specs.js';
 import {
+  expectedAccountDeletionUpdateTimeout,
   userHasDeviceList,
   deviceListCanBeRequestedForUser,
 } from '../thread-utils.js';
@@ -167,18 +174,42 @@
 
       const missingUsers: $ReadOnlyArray<string> =
         missingDeviceListsUserIDs.filter(id => !deviceLists[id]);
-      if (missingUsers.length > 0) {
+      const time = Date.now();
+      const shouldDeleteUser = (userID: string) =>
+        !!auxUserInfos[userID]?.accountMissingStatus &&
+        auxUserInfos[userID].accountMissingStatus.missingSince <
+          time - expectedAccountDeletionUpdateTimeout;
+
+      const nonDeletedUsers = missingUsers.filter(
+        userID => !shouldDeleteUser(userID),
+      );
+      if (nonDeletedUsers.length > 0) {
         dispatch({
           type: setMissingDeviceListsActionType,
           payload: {
             usersMissingFromIdentity: {
-              userIDs: missingUsers,
-              time: Date.now(),
+              userIDs: nonDeletedUsers,
+              time,
             },
           },
         });
       }
 
+      const deletedUsers = missingUsers.filter(shouldDeleteUser);
+      if (deletedUsers.length > 0) {
+        const deleteUserUpdates: $ReadOnlyArray<AccountDeletionUpdateInfo> =
+          deletedUsers.map(deletedUserID => ({
+            type: updateTypes.DELETE_ACCOUNT,
+            time,
+            id: uuid.v4(),
+            deletedUserID,
+          }));
+        dispatch({
+          type: removePeerUsersActionType,
+          payload: { updatesResult: { newUpdates: deleteUserUpdates } },
+        });
+      }
+
       const updatedPeers: Array<P2PMessageRecipient> = [];
       for (const userID of missingDeviceListsUserIDs) {
         if (deviceLists[userID] && deviceLists[userID].devices.length > 0) {
@@ -192,7 +223,12 @@
       }
       return updatedPeers;
     },
-    [dispatch, getAndUpdateDeviceListsForUsers, getUsersWithoutDeviceList],
+    [
+      auxUserInfos,
+      dispatch,
+      getAndUpdateDeviceListsForUsers,
+      getUsersWithoutDeviceList,
+    ],
   );
 
   return React.useCallback(
diff --git a/lib/shared/thread-utils.js b/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/thread-utils.js
@@ -1833,6 +1833,7 @@
 }
 
 const deviceListRequestTimeout = 20 * 1000; // twenty seconds
+const expectedAccountDeletionUpdateTimeout = 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000; // one day
 
 function deviceListCanBeRequestedForUser(
   userID: string,
@@ -1915,4 +1916,5 @@
   userHasDeviceList,
   deviceListIsNonEmpty,
   deviceListCanBeRequestedForUser,
+  expectedAccountDeletionUpdateTimeout,
 };