When a user's account is deleted, do their PMs disappear with them?

Yes. When an account is deactivated all PM messages vanish. Not sure why.

If you have a valid email and adjusted settings to allow notification of PM messages you should have gotten a copy via email.

I don’t, but it’s no big deal. I didn’t really care about the PM itself, just wondering whether it was a side effect of deactivation, or if someone was physically deleting my messages for me. The former – cool. The latter – not so much.

Thanks for the answer, @Dog – you’re awesome. ^_^

I’ve noticed that I still have PMs from users that voluntary deleted their own accounts, but not from from ones whom (I suspect) have been banned. Just a strong suspicion, that, but I think probably so, considering some circumstances.

I could have easily answered this myself. I had 3 former users in my fluther, their avatars vanished from my fluther (they deleted their accounts) but I still noticed I have their messages.

@Dog this would be another question, but since you are here, will we ever be able to invite friends to a question in a simpler way? Not the mundane process of inviting one at a time!

@BoBo1946 I don’t know the answer to that one yet.

@augustlan got’cha and thank you!

While we’re on the topic, I think “disappear” might be the wrong word to use. If the user were to come back, wouldn’t you see the PMs again? So I think they haven’t disappeared, they just aren’t visible from users who’ve been banned until the ban expires (if it ever does), right? Or have I gotten this all wrong?

@Allie I think that’s right. So, if we just suspend someone, once their account is reactivated, the PMs would be visible again. If they’re truly banned, they’d be gone forever.