diff --git a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Search/Controllers/SearchController.cs b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Search/Controllers/SearchController.cs
index 8d1c11747..da2f13e4b 100644
--- a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Search/Controllers/SearchController.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Search/Controllers/SearchController.cs
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ using Orchard.Settings;
 using Orchard.Search.Models;
 using System.Linq;
 using System;
+using System.Collections.Generic;
+using Orchard.Collections;
 
 namespace Orchard.Search.Controllers {
     [ValidateInput(false)]
@@ -24,16 +26,37 @@ namespace Orchard.Search.Controllers {
         public ActionResult Index(string q, int page = 1, int pageSize = 10) {
             var searchFields = CurrentSite.As<SearchSettingsPart>().Record.SearchedFields.Split(new[] {',', ' '}, StringSplitOptions.RemoveEmptyEntries);
 
+            var searchHits = _searchService.Query(q, page, pageSize, 
+                    CurrentSite.As<SearchSettingsPart>().Record.FilterCulture,
+                    searchFields, 
+                    searchHit => searchHit);
+
+            var searchResultViewModels = new List<SearchResultViewModel>();
+
+            foreach(var searchHit in searchHits) {
+                var contentItem = _contentManager.Get(searchHit.ContentItemId);
+                // ignore search results which content item has been removed or unpublished
+                if(contentItem == null){
+                    searchHits.TotalItemCount--;
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                searchResultViewModels.Add(new SearchResultViewModel {
+                        Content = _contentManager.BuildDisplayModel(contentItem, "SummaryForSearch"),
+                        SearchHit = searchHit
+                    });
+            }
+
+            var pageOfItems = new PageOfItems<SearchResultViewModel>(searchResultViewModels) {
+                PageNumber = page,
+                PageSize = searchHits.PageSize,
+                TotalItemCount = searchHits.TotalItemCount
+            };
+
             var searchViewModel = new SearchViewModel {
                 Query = q,
                 DefaultPageSize = 10, // <- yeah, I know :|
-                PageOfResults = _searchService.Query(q, page, pageSize, 
-                    CurrentSite.As<SearchSettingsPart>().Record.FilterCulture,
-                    searchFields, 
-                    searchHit => new SearchResultViewModel {
-                        Content = _contentManager.BuildDisplayModel(_contentManager.Get(searchHit.ContentItemId), "SummaryForSearch"),
-                        SearchHit = searchHit
-                    })
+                PageOfResults = pageOfItems
             };
 
             //todo: deal with page requests beyond result count
diff --git a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Search/Services/SearchService.cs b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Search/Services/SearchService.cs
index 152abe66d..c73336d73 100644
--- a/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Search/Services/SearchService.cs
+++ b/src/Orchard.Web/Modules/Orchard.Search/Services/SearchService.cs
@@ -51,8 +51,9 @@ namespace Orchard.Search.Services {
                 searchBuilder = searchBuilder
                     .Slice((page > 0 ? page - 1 : 0) * (int)pageSize, (int)pageSize);
 
+            var searchResults = searchBuilder.Search();
 
-            var pageOfItems = new PageOfItems<T>(searchBuilder.Search().Select(shapeResult)) {
+            var pageOfItems = new PageOfItems<T>(searchResults.Select(shapeResult)) {
                 PageNumber = page,
                 PageSize = pageSize != null ? (int)pageSize : totalCount,
                 TotalItemCount = totalCount