diff --git a/src/details/ArborX_DetailsDistributedTreeImpl.hpp b/src/details/ArborX_DetailsDistributedTreeImpl.hpp
index 681092381..c56a04e8b 100644
--- a/src/details/ArborX_DetailsDistributedTreeImpl.hpp
+++ b/src/details/ArborX_DetailsDistributedTreeImpl.hpp
@@ -51,8 +51,7 @@ struct DistributedTreeImpl
       Kokkos::is_view<Ranks>{} && Kokkos::is_view<Distances>{}>
   queryDispatchImpl(NearestPredicateTag, DistributedTree const &tree,
                     ExecutionSpace const &space, Predicates const &queries,
-                    Indices &indices, Offset &offset, Ranks &ranks,
-                    Distances *distances_ptr = nullptr);
+                    Indices &indices, Offset &offset, Ranks &ranks);
 
   template <typename DistributedTree, typename ExecutionSpace,
             typename Predicates, typename IndicesAndRanks, typename Offset>
diff --git a/src/details/ArborX_DetailsDistributedTreeNearest.hpp b/src/details/ArborX_DetailsDistributedTreeNearest.hpp
index 597f78dd5..bb1fa8c7b 100644
--- a/src/details/ArborX_DetailsDistributedTreeNearest.hpp
+++ b/src/details/ArborX_DetailsDistributedTreeNearest.hpp
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ DistributedTreeImpl::queryDispatchImpl(NearestPredicateTag, Tree const &tree,
                                        ExecutionSpace const &space,
                                        Predicates const &queries,
                                        Indices &indices, Offset &offset,
-                                       Ranks &ranks, Distances *distances_ptr)
+                                       Ranks &ranks)
 {
   Kokkos::Profiling::ScopedRegion guard(
       "ArborX::DistributedTree::query::nearest");
@@ -293,8 +293,6 @@ DistributedTreeImpl::queryDispatchImpl(NearestPredicateTag, Tree const &tree,
   auto comm = tree.getComm();
 
   Distances distances("ArborX::DistributedTree::query::nearest::distances", 0);
-  if (distances_ptr)
-    distances = *distances_ptr;
 
   // "Strategy" is used to determine what ranks to forward queries to.  In
   // the 1st pass, the queries are sent to as many ranks as necessary to