diff --git a/sys/kern/kern_dmsg.c b/sys/kern/kern_dmsg.c
index d6e90ee..92dc65f 100644
--- a/sys/kern/kern_dmsg.c
+++ b/sys/kern/kern_dmsg.c
@@ -306,6 +306,20 @@ kdmsg_iocom_uninit(kdmsg_iocom_t *iocom)
 		kdmsg_state_drop(state);
 	}
 
+	/*
+	 * Both iocom threads are gone (or never existed).  Nothing can
+	 * transmit what is still queued on msgq (e.g. the LNK_PING
+	 * allocated above to unstick the reader); drain the queue so
+	 * those messages are freed instead of leaking with the iocom,
+	 * mirroring the write-thread exit path (kdmsg_drain_msgq call
+	 * at the head of the termination loop in kdmsg_iocom_thread_wr).
+	 *
+	 * uninit holds msglk exclusively, satisfying kdmsg_drain_msgq's
+	 * locking requirement.
+	 */
+	iocom->flags |= KDMSG_IOCOMF_EXITNOACC;
+	kdmsg_drain_msgq(iocom);
+
 	/*
 	 * Drop communications descriptor
 	 */