diff --git a/CRM/Case/BAO/Case.php b/CRM/Case/BAO/Case.php
index 0e4260c3ef8e..c78b6f6deda3 100644
--- a/CRM/Case/BAO/Case.php
+++ b/CRM/Case/BAO/Case.php
@@ -396,7 +396,6 @@ public static function retrieveCaseIdsByContactId($contactID, $includeDeleted =
       $caseArray[] = $dao->id;
     }
 
-    $dao->free();
     return $caseArray;
   }
 
@@ -894,7 +893,6 @@ public static function getCaseRoles($contactID, $caseID, $relationshipID = NULL,
       $values[$rid]['relationship_direction'] = $dao->relationship_direction;
     }
 
-    $dao->free();
     return $values;
   }
 
@@ -1218,7 +1216,6 @@ public static function getCaseActivity($caseID, &$params, $contactID, $context =
 
       $caseActivities[$caseActivityId]['links'] = $url;
     }
-    $dao->free();
 
     $caseActivitiesDT = array();
     $caseActivitiesDT['data'] = array_values($caseActivities);
@@ -1318,7 +1315,6 @@ public static function getRelatedContacts($caseID, $includeDetails = TRUE) {
         $values[] = $details;
       }
     }
-    $dao->free();
 
     return $values;
   }
@@ -1802,7 +1798,6 @@ public static function getCaseActivityDates($caseID, $criteriaParams = array(),
       $values[$dao->id]['id'] = $dao->id;
       $values[$dao->id]['activity_date'] = $dao->activity_date;
     }
-    $dao->free();
     return $values;
   }
 
@@ -2007,7 +2002,6 @@ public static function getRelatedCaseIds($caseId, $excludeDeleted = TRUE) {
     while ($dao->fetch()) {
       $relatedCaseIds[$dao->case_id] = $dao->case_id;
     }
-    $dao->free();
 
     return array_values($relatedCaseIds);
   }
@@ -2080,7 +2074,6 @@ public static function getRelatedCases($caseId, $excludeDeleted = TRUE) {
         'links' => $caseView,
       );
     }
-    $dao->free();
 
     return $relatedCases;
   }
@@ -2254,7 +2247,6 @@ public static function mergeCases(
           while ($dao->fetch()) {
             $singletonActivityIds[] = $dao->id;
           }
-          $dao->free();
         }
       }
 
diff --git a/CRM/Contact/BAO/Contact.php b/CRM/Contact/BAO/Contact.php
index 9e59eb0327d0..f73eb8a94909 100644
--- a/CRM/Contact/BAO/Contact.php
+++ b/CRM/Contact/BAO/Contact.php
@@ -2553,7 +2553,6 @@ public static function getPrimaryEmail($contactID) {
     if ($dao->fetch()) {
       $email = $dao->email;
     }
-    $dao->free();
     return $email;
   }
 
@@ -2581,7 +2580,6 @@ public static function getPrimaryOpenId($contactID) {
     if ($dao->fetch()) {
       $openId = $dao->openid;
     }
-    $dao->free();
     return $openId;
   }
 
@@ -3559,7 +3557,6 @@ public static function deleteObjectWithPrimary($type, $id) {
           $dao->save();
         }
       }
-      $dao->free();
     }
     CRM_Utils_Hook::post('delete', $type, $id, $obj);
     $obj->free();
diff --git a/CRM/Contact/BAO/Query.php b/CRM/Contact/BAO/Query.php
index 71497d2e2490..13efcf013d30 100644
--- a/CRM/Contact/BAO/Query.php
+++ b/CRM/Contact/BAO/Query.php
@@ -4525,7 +4525,6 @@ public static function apiQuery(
     while ($dao->fetch()) {
       if ($count) {
         $noRows = $dao->rowCount;
-        $dao->free();
         return array($noRows, NULL);
       }
       $val = $query->store($dao);
@@ -4536,7 +4535,6 @@ public static function apiQuery(
       }
       $values[$dao->$entityIDField] = $val;
     }
-    $dao->free();
     return array($values, $options);
   }
 
@@ -4941,7 +4939,6 @@ public function searchQuery(
       while ($dao->fetch()) {
         $ids[] = $dao->id;
       }
-      $dao->free();
       return implode(',', $ids);
     }
 
diff --git a/CRM/Core/DAO.php b/CRM/Core/DAO.php
index bd850cf2ab9e..47606b2fa9e0 100644
--- a/CRM/Core/DAO.php
+++ b/CRM/Core/DAO.php
@@ -890,7 +890,6 @@ public static function getTableNames() {
     while ($dao->fetch()) {
       $values[] = $dao->TABLE_NAME;
     }
-    $dao->free();
     return $values;
   }
 
@@ -941,7 +940,6 @@ public static function checkConstraintExists($tableName, $constraint) {
         CRM_Core_Error::fatal();
       }
 
-      $dao->free();
       $show[$tableName] = $dao->Create_Table;
     }
 
@@ -969,7 +967,6 @@ public static function schemaRequiresRebuilding($tables = array("civicrm_contact
           CRM_Core_Error::fatal();
         }
 
-        $dao->free();
         $show[$tableName] = $dao->Create_Table;
       }
 
@@ -1005,7 +1002,6 @@ public static function checkFKConstraintInFormat($tableName, $columnName) {
         CRM_Core_Error::fatal();
       }
 
-      $dao->free();
       $show[$tableName] = $dao->Create_Table;
     }
     $constraint = "`FK_{$tableName}_{$columnName}`";
@@ -1027,7 +1023,6 @@ public static function checkFieldHasAlwaysValue($tableName, $columnName, $column
     $query = "SELECT * FROM $tableName WHERE $columnName != '$columnValue'";
     $dao = CRM_Core_DAO::executeQuery($query);
     $result = $dao->fetch() ? FALSE : TRUE;
-    $dao->free();
     return $result;
   }
 
@@ -1044,7 +1039,6 @@ public static function checkFieldIsAlwaysNull($tableName, $columnName) {
     $query = "SELECT * FROM $tableName WHERE $columnName IS NOT NULL";
     $dao = CRM_Core_DAO::executeQuery($query);
     $result = $dao->fetch() ? FALSE : TRUE;
-    $dao->free();
     return $result;
   }
 
@@ -1065,7 +1059,6 @@ public static function checkTableExists($tableName) {
 
     $dao = CRM_Core_DAO::executeQuery($query, $params);
     $result = $dao->fetch() ? TRUE : FALSE;
-    $dao->free();
     return $result;
   }
 
@@ -1432,7 +1425,6 @@ public static function &executeQuery(
     ) {
       // we typically do this for insert/update/delete statements OR if explicitly asked to
       // free the dao
-      $dao->free();
     }
     return $dao;
   }