diff --git a/client/coral-embed-stream/src/tabs/stream/components/Comment.js b/client/coral-embed-stream/src/tabs/stream/components/Comment.js
index 5df119fbc..e60756f39 100644
--- a/client/coral-embed-stream/src/tabs/stream/components/Comment.js
+++ b/client/coral-embed-stream/src/tabs/stream/components/Comment.js
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import {
   getActionSummary,
   iPerformedThisAction,
   isCommentActive,
+  isCommentDeleted,
   getShallowChanges,
 } from 'coral-framework/utils';
 import t from 'coral-framework/services/i18n';
@@ -742,8 +743,14 @@ export default class Comment extends React.Component {
 
     return (
       <div className={rootClassName} id={id}>
-        {this.renderComment()}
-        {activeReplyBox === comment.id && this.renderReplyBox()}
+        {isCommentDeleted(comment) ? (
+          <CommentTombstone action="deleted" />
+        ) : (
+          <div>
+            {this.renderComment()}
+            {activeReplyBox === comment.id && this.renderReplyBox()}
+          </div>
+        )}
         {this.renderRepliesContainer()}
       </div>
     );
diff --git a/client/coral-embed-stream/src/tabs/stream/components/CommentTombstone.js b/client/coral-embed-stream/src/tabs/stream/components/CommentTombstone.js
index a10369850..95184dffd 100644
--- a/client/coral-embed-stream/src/tabs/stream/components/CommentTombstone.js
+++ b/client/coral-embed-stream/src/tabs/stream/components/CommentTombstone.js
@@ -13,6 +13,8 @@ class CommentTombstone extends React.Component {
         return t('framework.comment_is_ignored');
       case 'reject':
         return t('framework.comment_is_rejected');
+      case 'deleted':
+        return t('framework.comment_is_deleted');
       default:
         return t('framework.comment_is_hidden');
     }
diff --git a/client/coral-framework/utils/index.js b/client/coral-framework/utils/index.js
index 66792b9b3..f69e83bdc 100644
--- a/client/coral-framework/utils/index.js
+++ b/client/coral-framework/utils/index.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { gql } from 'react-apollo';
 import t from 'coral-framework/services/i18n';
 import union from 'lodash/union';
+import get from 'lodash/get';
 import { capitalize } from 'coral-framework/helpers/strings';
 import assignWith from 'lodash/assignWith';
 import mapValues from 'lodash/mapValues';
@@ -221,6 +222,13 @@ export function isCommentActive(commentStatus) {
   return ['NONE', 'ACCEPTED'].indexOf(commentStatus) >= 0;
 }
 
+export function isCommentDeleted(comment) {
+  return (
+    get(comment, 'body', null) === null ||
+    get(comment, 'deleted_at', null) !== null
+  );
+}
+
 export function getShallowChanges(a, b) {
   return union(Object.keys(a), Object.keys(b)).filter(key => a[key] !== b[key]);
 }
diff --git a/graph/mutators/user.js b/graph/mutators/user.js
index 0343e1f2e..f5bf3c930 100644
--- a/graph/mutators/user.js
+++ b/graph/mutators/user.js
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ const delUser = async (ctx, id) => {
     updateBatchSize: 10000,
   });
 
-  // Remove all actions against comments.
+  // Remove all actions against this users comments.
   await transformSingleWithCursor(
     Action.collection.find({ user_id: user.id, item_type: 'COMMENTS' }),
     actionDecrTransformer,
@@ -111,34 +111,41 @@ const delUser = async (ctx, id) => {
     .setOptions({ multi: true })
     .remove();
 
-  // Removes all the user's reply counts on each of the comments that they
-  // have commented on.
+  // For each comment that the user has authored, purge the comment data from it
+  // and unset their id from those comments.
   await transformSingleWithCursor(
-    Comment.collection.aggregate([
-      { $match: { author_id: user.id } },
-      {
-        $group: {
-          _id: '$parent_id',
-          count: { $sum: 1 },
-        },
-      },
-    ]),
-    ({ _id: parent_id, count }) => ({
-      query: { id: parent_id },
-      update: {
-        $inc: {
-          reply_count: -1 * count,
-        },
+    Comment.collection.find({ author_id: user.id }),
+    ({
+      id,
+      asset_id,
+      status,
+      parent_id,
+      reply_count,
+      created_at,
+      updated_at,
+    }) => ({
+      query: { id },
+      replace: {
+        id,
+        body: null,
+        body_history: [],
+        asset_id,
+        author_id: null,
+        status_history: [],
+        status,
+        parent_id,
+        reply_count,
+        action_counts: {},
+        tags: [],
+        metadata: {},
+        deleted_at: new Date(),
+        created_at,
+        updated_at,
       },
     }),
     Comment
   );
 
-  // Remove all the user's comments.
-  await Comment.where({ author_id: user.id })
-    .setOptions({ multi: true })
-    .remove();
-
   // Remove the user.
   await user.remove();
 };
diff --git a/graph/resolvers/comment.js b/graph/resolvers/comment.js
index 064835f8f..e562c062c 100644
--- a/graph/resolvers/comment.js
+++ b/graph/resolvers/comment.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ const {
   SEARCH_ACTIONS,
   SEARCH_COMMENT_STATUS_HISTORY,
   VIEW_BODY_HISTORY,
+  VIEW_COMMENT_DELETED_AT,
 } = require('../../perms/constants');
 const {
   decorateWithTags,
@@ -23,7 +24,9 @@ const Comment = {
     return Comments.get.load(parent_id);
   },
   user({ author_id }, _, { loaders: { Users } }) {
-    return Users.getByID.load(author_id);
+    if (author_id) {
+      return Users.getByID.load(author_id);
+    }
   },
   replies({ id, asset_id, reply_count }, { query }, { loaders: { Comments } }) {
     // Don't bother looking up replies if there aren't any there!
@@ -83,6 +86,7 @@ decorateWithTags(Comment);
 decorateWithPermissionCheck(Comment, {
   actions: [SEARCH_ACTIONS],
   status_history: [SEARCH_COMMENT_STATUS_HISTORY],
+  deleted_at: [VIEW_COMMENT_DELETED_AT],
 });
 
 // Protect privileged fields.
diff --git a/graph/typeDefs.graphql b/graph/typeDefs.graphql
index f94322344..9a03e2729 100644
--- a/graph/typeDefs.graphql
+++ b/graph/typeDefs.graphql
@@ -503,7 +503,7 @@ type Comment {
   id: ID!
 
   # The actual comment data.
-  body: String!
+  body: String
 
   # The body history of the comment. Requires the `ADMIN` or `MODERATOR` role or
   # the author.
@@ -537,6 +537,9 @@ type Comment {
   # The status history of the comment. Requires the `ADMIN` or `MODERATOR` role.
   status_history: [CommentStatusHistory!]
 
+  # The date that the comment was deleted at if it was.
+  deleted_at: Date
+
   # The time when the comment was created
   created_at: Date!
 
diff --git a/locales/en.yml b/locales/en.yml
index 50845b96f..f4c477710 100644
--- a/locales/en.yml
+++ b/locales/en.yml
@@ -258,6 +258,7 @@ en:
     comment: comment
     comment_is_ignored: "This comment is hidden because you ignored this user."
     comment_is_rejected: "You have rejected this comment."
+    comment_is_deleted: "This comment was deleted."
     comment_is_hidden: "This comment is not available."
     comments: comments
     configure_stream: "Configure"
diff --git a/models/schema/comment.js b/models/schema/comment.js
index 6ef5434d5..985f5c399 100644
--- a/models/schema/comment.js
+++ b/models/schema/comment.js
@@ -58,8 +58,6 @@ const Comment = new Schema(
     },
     body: {
       type: String,
-      required: [true, 'The body is required.'],
-      minlength: 2,
     },
     body_history: [BodyHistoryItemSchema],
     asset_id: String,
@@ -89,6 +87,12 @@ const Comment = new Schema(
     // Tags are added by the self or by administrators.
     tags: [TagLinkSchema],
 
+    // deleted_at stores the date that the given comment was deleted.
+    deleted_at: {
+      type: Date,
+      default: null,
+    },
+
     // Additional metadata stored on the field.
     metadata: {
       default: {},
diff --git a/perms/constants/query.js b/perms/constants/query.js
index 197c5d9f9..0c7f4024d 100644
--- a/perms/constants/query.js
+++ b/perms/constants/query.js
@@ -11,4 +11,5 @@ module.exports = {
   VIEW_USER_ROLE: 'VIEW_USER_ROLE',
   VIEW_USER_EMAIL: 'VIEW_USER_EMAIL',
   VIEW_BODY_HISTORY: 'VIEW_BODY_HISTORY',
+  VIEW_COMMENT_DELETED_AT: 'VIEW_COMMENT_DELETED_AT',
 };
diff --git a/perms/reducers/query.js b/perms/reducers/query.js
index ed507139d..5c8b17307 100644
--- a/perms/reducers/query.js
+++ b/perms/reducers/query.js
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ module.exports = (user, perm) => {
     case types.VIEW_USER_ROLE:
     case types.VIEW_USER_EMAIL:
     case types.VIEW_BODY_HISTORY:
+    case types.VIEW_COMMENT_DELETED_AT:
       return check(user, ['ADMIN', 'MODERATOR']);
     case types.LIST_OWN_TOKENS:
       return check(user, ['ADMIN']);
diff --git a/services/migration/helpers.js b/services/migration/helpers.js
index 5eb33aadf..49acc78aa 100644
--- a/services/migration/helpers.js
+++ b/services/migration/helpers.js
@@ -10,8 +10,14 @@ const processUpdates = async (model, updates) => {
   // Create a new batch operation.
   const bulk = model.collection.initializeUnorderedBulkOp();
 
-  for (const { query, update } of updates) {
-    bulk.find(query).updateOne(update);
+  for (const { query, update, replace } of updates) {
+    if (update) {
+      bulk.find(query).updateOne(update);
+    } else if (replace) {
+      bulk.find(query).replaceOne(replace);
+    } else {
+      throw new Error('invalid update object provided');
+    }
   }
 
   // Execute the bulk update operation.