diff --git a/runtime/src/accounts_index.rs b/runtime/src/accounts_index.rs
index 5877808903..b283186383 100644
--- a/runtime/src/accounts_index.rs
+++ b/runtime/src/accounts_index.rs
@@ -1234,7 +1234,7 @@ impl<T: IsCached> AccountsIndex<T> {
         if !dead_keys.is_empty() {
             for key in dead_keys.iter() {
                 let mut w_index = self.get_account_maps_write_lock(key);
-                if self.remove_if_slot_list_empty(key, &mut w_index) {
+                if w_index.remove_if_slot_list_empty(**key) {
                     // Note it's only safe to remove all the entries for this key
                     // because we have the lock for this key's entry in the AccountsIndex,
                     // so no other thread is also updating the index
@@ -1244,22 +1244,6 @@ impl<T: IsCached> AccountsIndex<T> {
         }
     }
 
-    // If the slot list for pubkey exists in the index and is empty, remove the index entry for pubkey and return true.
-    // Return false otherwise.
-    fn remove_if_slot_list_empty(
-        &self,
-        pubkey: &Pubkey,
-        lock: &mut AccountMapsWriteLock<T>,
-    ) -> bool {
-        if let Entry::Occupied(index_entry) = lock.entry(*pubkey) {
-            if index_entry.get().slot_list.read().unwrap().is_empty() {
-                index_entry.remove();
-                return true;
-            }
-        }
-        false
-    }
-
     /// call func with every pubkey and index visible from a given set of ancestors
     pub(crate) fn scan_accounts<F>(
         &self,
diff --git a/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs b/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs
index d7e790dad3..87e7cfeedb 100644
--- a/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs
+++ b/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs
@@ -42,6 +42,18 @@ impl<T: IsCached> InMemAccountsIndex<T> {
         self.map.remove(key);
     }
 
+    // If the slot list for pubkey exists in the index and is empty, remove the index entry for pubkey and return true.
+    // Return false otherwise.
+    pub fn remove_if_slot_list_empty(&mut self, pubkey: Pubkey) -> bool {
+        if let Entry::Occupied(index_entry) = self.map.entry(pubkey) {
+            if index_entry.get().slot_list.read().unwrap().is_empty() {
+                index_entry.remove();
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+        false
+    }
+
     pub fn len(&self) -> usize {
         self.map.len()
     }