LONDON—In April 2002, News Corp. 's News of the World tabloid scrambled at least eight reporters and photographers to an Epson ink-cartridge factory in Britain's Midlands region, hoping to land a big scoop: Missing Milly Dowler Found Alive.

Improbably, the tabloid's news desk had reason to believe the 13-year-old girl—whose disappearance was then a big story in Britain—had run away from home and gotten a job at the Epson factory. The reason: The paper had a voice-mail message, apparently intercepted from her phone, suggesting she worked there.

The tabloid's hope was that, "When Milly Dowler clocked off work, we would be there outside the gates," said one journalist involved in the three-day stakeout, which hasn't previously been reported. "We could say, 'There you are, Milly, the whole world has been looking for you.' "

It turned out the girl wasn't working at Epson. In September 2002, she was found murdered.

The pursuit of Amanda "Milly" Dowler to the Epson factory would culminate, on April 14, 2002, with publication of the only articles containing discussions of the girl's voice mails printed by the News of the World. The voice mails, apparently obtained illegally, are at the heart of the phone-hacking scandal that has led to the closing of the 168-year-old paper, the resignations of several top executives, the scuttling of News Corp.'s £7.8 billion offer to acquire the rest of British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC, and a challenge for one of the world's most powerful media figures, News Corp. founder Rupert Murdoch.