diff --git a/ArticlesDatabase/Sources/ArticlesDatabase/StatusesTable.swift b/ArticlesDatabase/Sources/ArticlesDatabase/StatusesTable.swift
index 5d8529a1e..bf5e59d99 100644
--- a/ArticlesDatabase/Sources/ArticlesDatabase/StatusesTable.swift
+++ b/ArticlesDatabase/Sources/ArticlesDatabase/StatusesTable.swift
@@ -29,6 +29,18 @@ final class StatusesTable: DatabaseTable {
 	// MARK: - Creating/Updating
 
 	func ensureStatusesForArticleIDs(_ articleIDs: Set<String>, _ read: Bool, _ database: FMDatabase) -> ([String: ArticleStatus], Set<String>) {
+
+		#if DEBUG
+		// Check for missing statuses  — this asserts that all the passed-in articleIDs exist in the statuses table.
+		defer {
+			if let resultSet = self.selectRowsWhere(key: DatabaseKey.articleID, inValues: Array(articleIDs), in: database) {
+				let fetchedStatuses = resultSet.mapToSet(statusWithRow)
+				let fetchedArticleIDs = Set(fetchedStatuses.map{ $0.articleID })
+				assert(fetchedArticleIDs == articleIDs)
+			}
+		}
+		#endif
+
 		// Check cache.
 		let articleIDsMissingCachedStatus = articleIDsWithNoCachedStatus(articleIDs)
 		if articleIDsMissingCachedStatus.isEmpty {
@@ -43,23 +55,10 @@ final class StatusesTable: DatabaseTable {
 			// Create new statuses.
 			self.createAndSaveStatusesForArticleIDs(articleIDsNeedingStatus, read, database)
 		}
-			
+
 		return (statusesDictionary(articleIDs), articleIDsNeedingStatus)
 	}
 
-	func existingStatusesForArticleIDs(_ articleIDs: Set<String>, _ database: FMDatabase) -> [String: ArticleStatus] {
-		// Check cache.
-		let articleIDsMissingCachedStatus = articleIDsWithNoCachedStatus(articleIDs)
-		if articleIDsMissingCachedStatus.isEmpty {
-			return statusesDictionary(articleIDs)
-		}
-
-		// Check database.
-		fetchAndCacheStatusesForArticleIDs(articleIDsMissingCachedStatus, database)
-
-		return statusesDictionary(articleIDs)
-	}
-
 	// MARK: - Marking
 
 	@discardableResult