diff --git a/api/v1/types.go b/api/v1/types.go
index 8bdd67cd..b389e719 100644
--- a/api/v1/types.go
+++ b/api/v1/types.go
@@ -101,7 +101,8 @@ func (e ExternalID) WhereClause(db *gorm.DB) *gorm.DB {
 type ConfigDeleteReason string
 
 var (
-	// DeletedReasonStale is used when a config item doesn't get updated on a scrape run.
+	// DeletedReasonStale is used when a config item doesn't get updated
+	// for a period of `staleItemAge`.
 	DeletedReasonStale ConfigDeleteReason = "STALE"
 
 	// DeletedReasonFromAttribute is used when a deletion field (& reason)
diff --git a/db/config.go b/db/config.go
index 3693cd99..ce2bbd14 100644
--- a/db/config.go
+++ b/db/config.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/google/uuid"
 	"github.com/lib/pq"
 	"github.com/ohler55/ojg/oj"
+	"gorm.io/gorm"
 	"gorm.io/gorm/clause"
 )
 
@@ -211,3 +212,15 @@ func FindConfigChangesByItemID(ctx api.ScrapeContext, configItemID string) ([]du
 
 	return ci, nil
 }
+
+func SoftDeleteConfigItems(ctx context.Context, ids []string) error {
+	if len(ids) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return ctx.DB().
+		Model(&models.ConfigItem{}).
+		Where("id IN (?)", ids).
+		Update("deleted_at", gorm.Expr("NOW()")).
+		Error
+}
diff --git a/scrapers/cron.go b/scrapers/cron.go
index eda6209f..e99a4fce 100644
--- a/scrapers/cron.go
+++ b/scrapers/cron.go
@@ -208,10 +208,12 @@ func ConsumeKubernetesWatchEventsJobFunc(sc api.ScrapeContext, config v1.Kuberne
 		ID:           fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", sc.ScrapeConfig().Namespace, sc.ScrapeConfig().Name),
 		ResourceType: job.ResourceTypeScraper,
 		Fn: func(ctx job.JobRuntime) error {
-			ch, ok := kubernetes.WatchEventBuffers[config.Hash()]
+			_ch, ok := kubernetes.WatchEventBuffers.Load(config.Hash())
 			if !ok {
 				return fmt.Errorf("no watcher found for config (scrapeconfig: %s) %s", scrapeConfig.GetUID(), config.Hash())
 			}
+
+			ch := _ch.(chan v1.KubernetesEvent)
 			events, _, _, _ := lo.Buffer(ch, len(ch))
 
 			cc := api.NewScrapeContext(ctx.Context).WithScrapeConfig(&scrapeConfig).WithJobHistory(ctx.History)
@@ -273,10 +275,11 @@ func ConsumeKubernetesWatchResourcesJobFunc(sc api.ScrapeContext, config v1.Kube
 		ID:           fmt.Sprintf("%s/%s", sc.ScrapeConfig().Namespace, sc.ScrapeConfig().Name),
 		ResourceType: job.ResourceTypeScraper,
 		Fn: func(ctx job.JobRuntime) error {
-			ch, ok := kubernetes.WatchResourceBuffer[config.Hash()]
+			_ch, ok := kubernetes.WatchResourceBuffer.Load(config.Hash())
 			if !ok {
 				return fmt.Errorf("no resource watcher channel found for config (scrapeconfig: %s)", config.Hash())
 			}
+			ch := _ch.(chan *unstructured.Unstructured)
 			objs, _, _, _ := lo.Buffer(ch, len(ch))
 
 			// NOTE: The resource watcher can return multiple objects for the same NEW resource.
@@ -308,6 +311,19 @@ func ConsumeKubernetesWatchResourcesJobFunc(sc api.ScrapeContext, config v1.Kube
 				}
 			}
 
+			_deleteCh, ok := kubernetes.DeleteResourceBuffer.Load(config.Hash())
+			if !ok {
+				return fmt.Errorf("no resource watcher channel found for config (scrapeconfig: %s)", config.Hash())
+			}
+			deletChan := _deleteCh.(chan string)
+
+			if len(deletChan) > 0 {
+				deletedResourcesIDs, _, _, _ := lo.Buffer(deletChan, len(deletChan))
+				if err := db.SoftDeleteConfigItems(ctx.Context, deletedResourcesIDs); err != nil {
+					return fmt.Errorf("failed to delete %d resources: %w", len(deletedResourcesIDs), err)
+				}
+			}
+
 			return nil
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/scrapers/kubernetes/events_watch.go b/scrapers/kubernetes/events_watch.go
index e801e9dd..e9c94a9d 100644
--- a/scrapers/kubernetes/events_watch.go
+++ b/scrapers/kubernetes/events_watch.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package kubernetes
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"strings"
+	"sync"
 
 	"github.com/flanksource/commons/logger"
 	"github.com/flanksource/duty/types"
@@ -24,18 +25,25 @@ var (
 	BufferSize = 5000
 
 	// WatchEventBuffers stores a sync buffer per kubernetes config
-	WatchEventBuffers = make(map[string]chan v1.KubernetesEvent)
+	WatchEventBuffers = sync.Map{}
 
 	WatchResourceBufferSize = 5000
 
 	// WatchEventBuffers stores a sync buffer per kubernetes config
-	WatchResourceBuffer = make(map[string]chan *unstructured.Unstructured)
+	WatchResourceBuffer = sync.Map{}
+
+	// DeleteResourceBuffer stores a buffer per kubernetes config
+	// that contains the ids of resources that have been deleted.
+	DeleteResourceBuffer = sync.Map{}
 )
 
 // WatchResources watches Kubernetes resources
 func WatchResources(ctx api.ScrapeContext, config v1.Kubernetes) error {
 	buffer := make(chan *unstructured.Unstructured, ctx.DutyContext().Properties().Int("kubernetes.watch.resources.bufferSize", WatchResourceBufferSize))
-	WatchResourceBuffer[config.Hash()] = buffer
+	WatchResourceBuffer.Store(config.Hash(), buffer)
+
+	deleteBuffer := make(chan string, WatchResourceBufferSize)
+	DeleteResourceBuffer.Store(config.Hash(), deleteBuffer)
 
 	var restConfig *rest.Config
 	var err error
@@ -70,7 +78,11 @@ func WatchResources(ctx api.ScrapeContext, config v1.Kubernetes) error {
 	for watchEvent := range utils.MergeChannels(channels...) {
 		obj, ok := watchEvent.Object.(*unstructured.Unstructured)
 		if ok {
-			buffer <- obj
+			if watchEvent.Type == watch.Deleted {
+				deleteBuffer <- string(obj.GetUID())
+			} else {
+				buffer <- obj
+			}
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -81,7 +93,7 @@ func WatchResources(ctx api.ScrapeContext, config v1.Kubernetes) error {
 // the referenced config items in batches.
 func WatchEvents(ctx api.ScrapeContext, config v1.Kubernetes) error {
 	buffer := make(chan v1.KubernetesEvent, ctx.DutyContext().Properties().Int("kubernetes.watch.events.bufferSize", BufferSize))
-	WatchEventBuffers[config.Hash()] = buffer
+	WatchEventBuffers.Store(config.Hash(), buffer)
 
 	if config.Kubeconfig != nil {
 		var err error
diff --git a/scrapers/kubernetes/kubernetes.go b/scrapers/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
index 7fb60149..2dfcfef7 100644
--- a/scrapers/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
+++ b/scrapers/kubernetes/kubernetes.go
@@ -401,14 +401,8 @@ func ExtractResults(ctx context.Context, config v1.Kubernetes, objs []*unstructu
 			resourceHealth = &health.HealthStatus{}
 		}
 
-		createdAt := obj.GetCreationTimestamp().Time
 		var deletedAt *time.Time
 		var deleteReason v1.ConfigDeleteReason
-		if !obj.GetDeletionTimestamp().IsZero() {
-			deletedAt = &obj.GetDeletionTimestamp().Time
-			deleteReason = v1.DeletedReasonFromAttribute
-		}
-
 		// Evicted Pods must be considered deleted
 		if obj.GetKind() == "Pod" {
 			if objStatus, ok := obj.Object["status"].(map[string]any); ok {
@@ -437,7 +431,7 @@ func ExtractResults(ctx context.Context, config v1.Kubernetes, objs []*unstructu
 			Health:              models.Health(resourceHealth.Health),
 			Ready:               resourceHealth.Ready,
 			Description:         resourceHealth.Message,
-			CreatedAt:           &createdAt,
+			CreatedAt:           lo.ToPtr(obj.GetCreationTimestamp().Time),
 			DeletedAt:           deletedAt,
 			DeleteReason:        deleteReason,
 			Config:              configObj,