diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/UsersController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/UsersController.php
index 19cf1c3bdf..c41afe0a3c 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Api/UsersController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Api/UsersController.php
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ use App\Http\Transformers\SelectlistTransformer;
 use App\Http\Transformers\UsersTransformer;
 use App\Models\Actionlog;
 use App\Models\Asset;
+use App\Models\Accessory;
+use App\Models\Consumable;
 use App\Models\License;
 use App\Models\User;
 use App\Notifications\CurrentInventory;
@@ -31,7 +33,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      * @author [A. Gianotto] [<snipe@snipe.net>]
      * @since [v4.0]
      *
-     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
+     * @return array
      */
     public function index(Request $request)
     {
@@ -359,7 +361,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      * @author [A. Gianotto] [<snipe@snipe.net>]
      * @since [v4.0]
      * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
-     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
+     * @return array | \Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse
      */
     public function store(SaveUserRequest $request)
     {
@@ -406,7 +408,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      *
      * @author [A. Gianotto] [<snipe@snipe.net>]
      * @param  int  $id
-     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
+     * @return array | \Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse
      */
     public function show($id)
     {
@@ -429,7 +431,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      * @since [v4.0]
      * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
      * @param  int  $id
-     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
+     * @return \Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse
      */
     public function update(SaveUserRequest $request, $id)
     {
@@ -514,7 +516,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      * @author [A. Gianotto] [<snipe@snipe.net>]
      * @since [v4.0]
      * @param  int  $id
-     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
+     * @return \Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse
      */
     public function destroy(DeleteUserRequest $request, $id)
     {
@@ -543,7 +545,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
 
         }
 
-        return response()->json(Helper::formatStandardApiResponse('error', null, trans('admin/users/message.user_not_found', compact('id'))));
+        return response()->json(Helper::formatStandardApiResponse('error', null, 'Whoops.'.trans('admin/users/message.user_not_found')));
 
     }
 
@@ -553,7 +555,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      * @author [A. Gianotto] [<snipe@snipe.net>]
      * @since [v3.0]
      * @param $userId
-     * @return string JSON
+     * @return array | \Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse
      */
     public function assets(Request $request, $id)
     {
@@ -626,7 +628,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      * @author [A. Gianotto] [<snipe@snipe.net>]
      * @since [v3.0]
      * @param $userId
-     * @return string JSON
+     * @return array | \Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse
      */
     public function consumables(Request $request, $id)
     {
@@ -644,7 +646,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      * @author [A. Gianotto] [<snipe@snipe.net>]
      * @since [v4.6.14]
      * @param $userId
-     * @return string JSON
+     * @return array
      */
     public function accessories($id)
     {
@@ -663,7 +665,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      * @author [N. Mathar] [<snipe@snipe.net>]
      * @since [v5.0]
      * @param $userId
-     * @return string JSON
+     * @return array | \Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse
      */
     public function licenses($id)
     {
@@ -726,7 +728,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      * @author [Juan Font] [<juanfontalonso@gmail.com>]
      * @since [v4.4.2]
      * @param  \Illuminate\Http\Request  $request
-     * @return \Illuminate\Http\Response
+     * @return array
      */
     public function getCurrentUserInfo(Request $request)
     {
@@ -739,7 +741,7 @@ class UsersController extends Controller
      * @author [E. Taylor] [<dev@evantaylor.name>]
      * @param int $userId
      * @since [v6.0.0]
-     * @return JsonResponse
+     * @return \Illuminate\Http\JsonResponse
      */
     public function restore($userId = null)
     {
diff --git a/app/Http/Requests/DeleteUserRequest.php b/app/Http/Requests/DeleteUserRequest.php
index 8136bd68e2..d70c7e0f56 100644
--- a/app/Http/Requests/DeleteUserRequest.php
+++ b/app/Http/Requests/DeleteUserRequest.php
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use Illuminate\Foundation\Http\FormRequest;
 use Illuminate\Validation\Rule;
 use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Auth;
 use App\Models\User;
-use Illuminate\Http\Request;
+use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Gate;
 
 
 class DeleteUserRequest extends FormRequest
@@ -19,18 +19,13 @@ class DeleteUserRequest extends FormRequest
      */
     public function authorize(): bool
     {
-        return true;
+        return Gate::allows('delete', new User);
+        //return true;
     }
 
-    /**
-     * Get the validation rules that apply to the request.
-     *
-     * @return array<string, \Illuminate\Contracts\Validation\ValidationRule|array<mixed>|string>
-     */
-    public function rules(): array
+    public function prepareForValidation(): void
     {
-
-        $user_to_delete = User::find(request()->route('user'));
+        $user_to_delete = User::withTrashed()->find(request()->route('user'));
 
         if ($user_to_delete) {
             $this->merge([
@@ -41,30 +36,41 @@ class DeleteUserRequest extends FormRequest
                 'assigned_assets' => $user_to_delete->assets()->count(),
                 'assigned_licenses' => $user_to_delete->licenses()->count(),
                 'assigned_accessories' => $user_to_delete->accessories()->count(),
+                'deleted_at' => $user_to_delete->deleted_at,
             ]);
         }
+    }
 
+    /**
+     * Get the validation rules that apply to the request.
+     *
+     * @return array<string, \Illuminate\Contracts\Validation\ValidationRule|array<mixed>|string>
+     */
+    public function rules(): array
+    {
         return [
-            'id' => ['exists:users,id'],
-            'user' =>  Rule::notIn([Auth::user()->id]),
+            'user' =>  ['in:null|not_in:auth()->user()->id'],
             'managed_users' =>  Rule::in([0]),
             'managed_locations' => Rule::in([0]),
             'assigned_assets' => Rule::in([0]),
             'assigned_licenses' => Rule::in([0]),
             'assigned_accessories' => Rule::in([0]),
+            'deleted_at' => Rule::in([null]),
         ];
     }
 
     public function messages(): array
     {
 
-        $user_to_delete = User::find(request()->route('user'));
-        $messages = ['id.exists' => trans('admin/users/message.user_not_found')];
+        $user_to_delete = User::withTrashed()->find(request()->route('user'));
+        $messages = [];
 
         if ($user_to_delete) {
 
             $messages = array_merge([
 
+                'user.exists' => 'Boop. '.trans('admin/users/message.user_not_found'),
+
                 // Cannot delete yourself
                 'user.not_in' => trans('admin/users/message.error.cannot_delete_yourself'),
 
@@ -84,6 +90,8 @@ class DeleteUserRequest extends FormRequest
                 // assigned accessories is not 0
                 'assigned_accessories.in' => trans_choice('admin/users/message.error.delete_has_accessories_var', $user_to_delete->accessories()->count(), ['count' => $user_to_delete->accessories()->count()]),
 
+                'deleted_at.in' => trans('admin/users/message.user_deleted_warning'),
+
             ], $messages);
         }