How do I access the files in a deleted user account?
Here's a few different ways you can access the old user's files:




Recreate the deleted account, and log in with it:


In System Preferences > Users &amp; Groups, click the padlock icon and then the plus button to create a new user
name the User "Abby" - the OS should ask you if you want to use the existing home folder - choose to do so
from the Apple menu, choose "Log out"
log in as "Abby" and you will have access to the old account again






Use the "System Administrator" account to access the files:


navigate to the folder "/System/Library/CoreServices/" and open "Directory Utility.app"
Click the padlock
in the "Edit" menu, choose "Enable root user"
from the Apple menu, choose "Log out"
log in as "System Administrator" (or "root") and you will have access to the files in "/Users/Abby"






Change the permissions of the old home folder:


Right-click the "/Users/Abby" folder and choose "Get Properties"
Click the padlock at the very bottom of the "Get Info" window
Click the "+" button at the very bottom of the "Get Info" window
Select your current account from the users list
Give your current user (at the very bottom of the "Get Info" window) to have "Read &amp; Write" privs
From the gear menu choose "make (me) the owner"
From the gear menu choose "Apply to enclosed items..."





If you want information on how this occurred, I just answered a similar question yesterday