diff --git a/hrm-domain/lambdas/search-index-consumer/payloadToIndex.ts b/hrm-domain/lambdas/search-index-consumer/payloadToIndex.ts
index 2a161091b..7317f22f6 100644
--- a/hrm-domain/lambdas/search-index-consumer/payloadToIndex.ts
+++ b/hrm-domain/lambdas/search-index-consumer/payloadToIndex.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import type {
   PayloadsByAccountSid,
   PayloadsByIndex,
 } from './messagesToPayloads';
-import { type HrmAccountId, newErr, newOkFromData } from '@tech-matters/types';
+import { type HrmAccountId, newErr, newOkFromData, isErr } from '@tech-matters/types';
 import { HrmIndexProcessorError } from '@tech-matters/job-errors';
 
 const handleIndexPayload =
@@ -90,6 +90,18 @@ const handleIndexPayload =
             id: documentId.toString(),
           });
 
+          if (isErr(result)) {
+            // bubble error if it's different from "not found"
+            if (result.extraProperties?.statusCode !== 404) {
+              return result.unwrap();
+            }
+
+            console.info(
+              'handleIndexPayload: delete operation resulted in 404, ignoring message with id',
+              messageId,
+            );
+          }
+
           return {
             accountSid,
             indexType,
diff --git a/packages/elasticsearch-client/src/deleteDocument.ts b/packages/elasticsearch-client/src/deleteDocument.ts
index de54a52e8..fcc5032c3 100644
--- a/packages/elasticsearch-client/src/deleteDocument.ts
+++ b/packages/elasticsearch-client/src/deleteDocument.ts
@@ -15,23 +15,34 @@
  */
 import { DeleteResponse } from '@elastic/elasticsearch/lib/api/types';
 import { PassThroughConfig } from './client';
+import { newErr, newOk, TResult } from '@tech-matters/types';
 
 export type DeleteDocumentExtraParams = {
   id: string;
 };
 
 export type DeleteDocumentParams<T> = PassThroughConfig<T> & DeleteDocumentExtraParams;
-export type DeleteDocumentResponse = DeleteResponse;
+export type DeleteDocumentResponse = TResult<'DeleteDocumentError', DeleteResponse>;
 
 export const deleteDocument = async <T>({
   client,
   id,
   index,
 }: DeleteDocumentParams<T>): Promise<DeleteDocumentResponse> => {
-  return client.delete({
-    index,
-    id,
-  });
+  try {
+    const response = await client.delete({
+      index,
+      id,
+    });
+
+    return newOk({ data: response });
+  } catch (error) {
+    return newErr({
+      error: 'DeleteDocumentError',
+      message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error),
+      extraProperties: { ...(error as any)?.meta, originalError: error },
+    });
+  }
 };
 
 export default deleteDocument;
diff --git a/packages/types/Result.ts b/packages/types/Result.ts
index bdfcaff06..6ae9585fb 100644
--- a/packages/types/Result.ts
+++ b/packages/types/Result.ts
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ export type ErrorResult<TError> = ResultBase & {
   status: 'error';
   message: string;
   error: TError;
+  extraProperties?: Record<string, any>;
   readonly unwrap: () => never;
 };
 
@@ -51,12 +52,14 @@ class ResultError<T extends ErrorResult<any>> extends Error {
 export const newErr = <TError>({
   message,
   error,
+  extraProperties,
 }: NewErrorResultParams<TError>): ErrorResult<TError> => {
   return {
     _tag: 'Result',
     status: 'error',
     message,
     error,
+    extraProperties,
     unwrap: function (this: ErrorResult<TError>) {
       throw new ResultError(this);
     },