diff --git a/app/Federation/Handlers/DirectMessageHandler.php b/app/Federation/Handlers/DirectMessageHandler.php
index c429e5742..3c9fac28a 100644
--- a/app/Federation/Handlers/DirectMessageHandler.php
+++ b/app/Federation/Handlers/DirectMessageHandler.php
@@ -172,11 +172,13 @@ class DirectMessageHandler
             return false;
         }
 
-        if ((int) $message->profile_id === (int) $actor->id) {
-            $this->service->deleteMessage($message, false);
+        if ((int) $message->profile_id !== (int) $actor->id) {
+            return true;
         }
 
-        return true;
+        $this->service->deleteMessage($message, false);
+
+        return $message->status_id === null;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/FederationController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/FederationController.php
index 7bdc2525d..c621688f3 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/FederationController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/FederationController.php
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ namespace App\Http\Controllers;
 use App\Jobs\InboxPipeline\DeleteWorker;
 use App\Jobs\InboxPipeline\InboxValidator;
 use App\Jobs\InboxPipeline\InboxWorker;
+use App\Models\DmMessage;
 use App\Models\FeatureAuthorization;
 use App\Models\Profile;
 use App\Models\QuoteAuthorization;
@@ -197,7 +198,7 @@ class FederationController extends Controller
                 }
 
                 if ($obj['object']['type'] === 'Tombstone') {
-                    if (Status::whereObjectUrl($obj['object']['id'])->exists()) {
+                    if ($this->isKnownTombstone($obj['object']['id'])) {
                         dispatch(new DeleteWorker($headers, $payload))->onQueue('delete');
 
                         return;
@@ -221,6 +222,21 @@ class FederationController extends Controller
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Deletes are dropped at the door unless they are for something this
+     * server has. A direct message is not a status, so it has to be looked
+     * for separately or its Delete never reaches the inbox worker.
+     */
+    protected function isKnownTombstone(mixed $id): bool
+    {
+        if (! is_string($id) || $id === '') {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        return Status::whereObjectUrl($id)->exists()
+            || DmMessage::whereObjectUri($id)->exists();
+    }
+
     public function sharedInbox(Request $request): void
     {
         abort_if(! (bool) config_cache('federation.activitypub.enabled'), 404);