diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index bad9c7a..d135190 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 {
   "name": "@web5/dwn-server",
-  "version": "0.1.7",
+  "version": "0.1.8",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@web5/dwn-server",
-      "version": "0.1.7",
+      "version": "0.1.8",
       "dependencies": {
-        "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": "0.2.8",
-        "@tbd54566975/dwn-sql-store": "0.2.4",
+        "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": "0.2.9",
+        "@tbd54566975/dwn-sql-store": "0.2.5",
         "better-sqlite3": "^8.5.0",
         "bytes": "3.1.2",
         "cors": "2.8.5",
@@ -828,9 +828,9 @@
       "dev": true
     },
     "node_modules/@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": {
-      "version": "0.2.8",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js/-/dwn-sdk-js-0.2.8.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-oiKk+ekAQO94bUkt6yk+xkDY8uCGmNC+rKaYQLhAoTrhYrczeRSuDT04F5/vPBT5K6NfAoRcQsIyBmvgRCUvgA==",
+      "version": "0.2.9",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js/-/dwn-sdk-js-0.2.9.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-p9wv0GrNq0BgUMvlS54osLKAZE/WhTV89Oh0nvGUk9NH5iwvswlbG4aygw4vDqdVo7XruzfGienW0X/eNWZL0g==",
       "dependencies": {
         "@ipld/dag-cbor": "9.0.3",
         "@js-temporal/polyfill": "0.4.4",
@@ -841,7 +841,6 @@
         "blockstore-core": "4.2.0",
         "cross-fetch": "4.0.0",
         "eciesjs": "0.4.5",
-        "flat": "5.0.2",
         "interface-blockstore": "5.2.3",
         "interface-store": "5.1.2",
         "ipfs-unixfs-exporter": "13.1.5",
@@ -870,12 +869,12 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/@tbd54566975/dwn-sql-store": {
-      "version": "0.2.4",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@tbd54566975/dwn-sql-store/-/dwn-sql-store-0.2.4.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-LwSpQMcKtNEAj8ffn/UGrYwiENjN4S7rIDX5FDJ4+qjnMbF7I051i1bpw3INKnrtnVWAuynD5033EHSKLml0Zw==",
+      "version": "0.2.5",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@tbd54566975/dwn-sql-store/-/dwn-sql-store-0.2.5.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-WA0dqVhidBg1EKMyYGMXo1HDoaPDKRjycKwpBNj0Hgt9zUwRG1PvqP1m5xFzTI+wryJEVvew/KkRICkz67sLLQ==",
       "dependencies": {
         "@ipld/dag-cbor": "^9.0.5",
-        "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": "0.2.8",
+        "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": "0.2.9",
         "kysely": "0.26.3",
         "multiformats": "12.0.1",
         "readable-stream": "4.4.2"
@@ -4254,6 +4253,7 @@
       "version": "5.0.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/flat/-/flat-5.0.2.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-b6suED+5/3rTpUBdG1gupIl8MPFCAMA0QXwmljLhvCUKcUvdE4gWky9zpuGCcXHOsz4J9wPGNWq6OKpmIzz3hQ==",
+      "dev": true,
       "bin": {
         "flat": "cli.js"
       }
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 462e847..db8d108 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "@web5/dwn-server",
   "type": "module",
-  "version": "0.1.7",
+  "version": "0.1.8",
   "files": [
     "dist",
     "src"
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@
     "url": "https://github.com/TBD54566975/dwn-server/issues"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": "0.2.8",
-    "@tbd54566975/dwn-sql-store": "0.2.4",
+    "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": "0.2.9",
+    "@tbd54566975/dwn-sql-store": "0.2.5",
     "better-sqlite3": "^8.5.0",
     "bytes": "3.1.2",
     "cors": "2.8.5",
diff --git a/src/json-rpc-handlers/dwn/process-message.ts b/src/json-rpc-handlers/dwn/process-message.ts
index cfe705c..30597e3 100644
--- a/src/json-rpc-handlers/dwn/process-message.ts
+++ b/src/json-rpc-handlers/dwn/process-message.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import type { RecordsReadReply } from '@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js';
-import { DwnInterfaceName, DwnMethodName } from '@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js';
 
 import type { Readable as IsomorphicReadable } from 'readable-stream';
 import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid';
@@ -23,26 +22,11 @@ export const handleDwnProcessMessage: JsonRpcHandler = async (
   const requestId = dwnRequest.id ?? uuidv4();
 
   try {
-    let reply;
-    const messageType =
-      message?.descriptor?.interface + message?.descriptor?.method;
-
-    // When a record is deleted via `RecordsDelete`, the initial RecordsWrite is kept as a tombstone _in addition_
-    // to the RecordsDelete message. the data associated to that initial RecordsWrite is deleted. If a record was written
-    // _and_ deleted before it ever got to dwn-server, we end up in a situation where we still need to process the tombstone
-    // so that we can process the RecordsDelete.
-    if (
-      messageType === DwnInterfaceName.Records + DwnMethodName.Write &&
-      !dataStream
-    ) {
-      reply = await dwn.synchronizePrunedInitialRecordsWrite(target, message);
-    } else {
-      reply = (await dwn.processMessage(
-        target,
-        message,
-        dataStream as IsomorphicReadable,
-      )) as RecordsReadReply;
-    }
+    const reply = (await dwn.processMessage(
+      target,
+      message,
+      dataStream as IsomorphicReadable,
+    )) as RecordsReadReply;
 
     // RecordsRead messages return record data as a stream to for accommodate large amounts of data
     let recordDataStream;