diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index f527de4..2d3d4fc 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
             "name": "dwn-server",
             "version": "0.0.2",
             "dependencies": {
-                "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": "0.0.32",
+                "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": "0.0.33",
                 "bytes": "3.1.2",
                 "cors": "2.8.5",
                 "express": "4.18.2",
@@ -326,9 +326,9 @@
             "integrity": "sha512-aWItSZvJj4+GI6FWkjZR13xPNPctq2RRakzo+O6vN7bC2yjwdg5EFpgaSAUn95b7BGSgcflvzVDPoKmJv24IOg=="
         },
         "node_modules/@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": {
-            "version": "0.0.32",
-            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js/-/dwn-sdk-js-0.0.32.tgz",
-            "integrity": "sha512-SijEHpmJDa0I9hC7jn/8P7XeYeFAi9byMc+b36yuCPDiF+j/hLLYGMpZpnbylJ6+ldWqWWEunumeWjxU4zrc3g==",
+            "version": "0.0.33",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js/-/dwn-sdk-js-0.0.33.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-ZdQtRTd0M2VcgGli7kDzkePsuxpwiOg+PRsBJ/UPC5fc6oflzbRqV6Lg9v8bWHozjdnijP58J3RMWmf4cj7bWw==",
             "dependencies": {
                 "@ipld/dag-cbor": "9.0.0",
                 "@js-temporal/polyfill": "0.4.3",
@@ -5891,9 +5891,9 @@
             "integrity": "sha512-aWItSZvJj4+GI6FWkjZR13xPNPctq2RRakzo+O6vN7bC2yjwdg5EFpgaSAUn95b7BGSgcflvzVDPoKmJv24IOg=="
         },
         "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": {
-            "version": "0.0.32",
-            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js/-/dwn-sdk-js-0.0.32.tgz",
-            "integrity": "sha512-SijEHpmJDa0I9hC7jn/8P7XeYeFAi9byMc+b36yuCPDiF+j/hLLYGMpZpnbylJ6+ldWqWWEunumeWjxU4zrc3g==",
+            "version": "0.0.33",
+            "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js/-/dwn-sdk-js-0.0.33.tgz",
+            "integrity": "sha512-ZdQtRTd0M2VcgGli7kDzkePsuxpwiOg+PRsBJ/UPC5fc6oflzbRqV6Lg9v8bWHozjdnijP58J3RMWmf4cj7bWw==",
             "requires": {
                 "@ipld/dag-cbor": "9.0.0",
                 "@js-temporal/polyfill": "0.4.3",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a91a79d..4ff2a54 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
     "type": "module",
     "version": "0.0.2",
     "dependencies": {
-        "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": "0.0.32",
+        "@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js": "0.0.33",
         "bytes": "3.1.2",
         "node-fetch": "3.3.1",
         "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 2f5a088..d4c7f8c 100644
--- a/src/json-rpc-handlers/dwn/process-message.ts
+++ b/src/json-rpc-handlers/dwn/process-message.ts
@@ -2,17 +2,29 @@ import type { Readable as IsomorphicReadable } from 'readable-stream';
 import type { JsonRpcHandler, HandlerResponse } from '../../lib/json-rpc-router.js';
 
 import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid';
+import { DwnInterfaceName, DwnMethodName } from '@tbd54566975/dwn-sdk-js';
 
 import { JsonRpcErrorCodes, createJsonRpcErrorResponse, createJsonRpcSuccessResponse } from '../../lib/json-rpc.js';
 
 export const handleDwnProcessMessage: JsonRpcHandler = async (dwnRequest, context) => {
   let { dwn, dataStream } = context;
   const { target, message } = dwnRequest.params;
-
   const requestId = dwnRequest.id ?? uuidv4();
 
   try {
-    const reply = await dwn.processMessage(target, message, dataStream as IsomorphicReadable);
+    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);
+    }
+
 
     // RecordsRead messages return record data as a stream to for accommodate large amounts of data
     let recordDataStream;
diff --git a/tests/http-api.spec.ts b/tests/http-api.spec.ts
index 27b5336..917dade 100644
--- a/tests/http-api.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/http-api.spec.ts
@@ -57,20 +57,27 @@ describe('http api', function() {
 
   it('responds with a 2XX HTTP status if JSON RPC handler returns 4XX/5XX DWN status code', async function() {
     const alice = await createProfile();
+    const { recordsWrite, dataStream } = await createRecordsWriteMessage(alice);
+
+    // Intentionally delete a required property to produce an invalid RecordsWrite message.
+    const message = recordsWrite.toJSON();
+    delete message['descriptor']['interface'];
 
     const requestId = uuidv4();
-    const { recordsWrite } = await createRecordsWriteMessage(alice);
     const dwnRequest = createJsonRpcRequest(requestId, 'dwn.processMessage', {
-      message : recordsWrite.toJSON(),
+      message : message,
       target  : alice.did,
     });
 
-    // Attempt an initial RecordsWrite without any data to ensure the DWN returns an error.
+    const dataBytes = await DataStream.toBytes(dataStream);
+
+    // Attempt an initial RecordsWrite with the invalid message to ensure the DWN returns an error.
     let responseInitialWrite = await fetch('http://localhost:3000', {
       method  : 'POST',
       headers : {
         'dwn-request': JSON.stringify(dwnRequest)
-      }
+      },
+      body: new Blob([dataBytes])
     });
 
     expect(responseInitialWrite.status).to.equal(200);
@@ -79,9 +86,10 @@ describe('http api', function() {
     expect(body.id).to.equal(requestId);
     expect(body.error).to.not.exist;
 
+
     const { reply } = body.result;
     expect(reply.status.code).to.equal(400);
-    expect(reply.status.detail).to.include('RecordsWriteMissingDataStream');
+    expect(reply.status.detail).to.include('Both interface and method must be present');
   });
 
   it('exposes dwn-response header', async function() {
@@ -216,6 +224,26 @@ describe('http api', function() {
       const { reply } = body.result;
       expect(reply.status.code).to.equal(202);
     });
+
+    it('handles a RecordsWrite tombstone', async function() {
+      const alice = await createProfile();
+      const { recordsWrite: tombstone } = await createRecordsWriteMessage(alice);
+
+      let requestId = uuidv4();
+      let dwnRequest = createJsonRpcRequest(requestId, 'dwn.processMessage', {
+        message : tombstone.toJSON(),
+        target  : alice.did
+      });
+
+      let responeTombstone = await fetch('http://localhost:3000', {
+        method  : 'POST',
+        headers : {
+          'dwn-request': JSON.stringify(dwnRequest)
+        },
+      });
+
+      expect(responeTombstone.status).to.equal(200);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('health check', function() {