Murdered by Indian immigrant Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, who had come to the UK in 1993, her body was found in nearby West End, Hampshire, two days after she disappeared.
Initial investigation focused on her prepaid mobile phone, which was still active, and police were able to trace its movements south using signal tower records.
However, as there was no direct communication with the operator, and as the voices were indistinct, the call was treated as a probable misdial and forwarded to Silent Solutions, a 2-minute-long recorded message telling people in need of assistance to dial 55.
[3] After identifying seven vans on CCTV footage that might fit the route taken, a public appeal for information was made by the parents on 26 March via Crimewatch.
He had taken a van home that night, as he did not own his own vehicle, had a similar delivery route, had a fresh scratch on his face, and was unable to complete his shift the next day.
[3] Investigators, noting the same van on their shortlist, soon found blood and semen in the vehicle, and retraced its route in and around Southampton, the M27, Portsmouth, and the recycling centre.
Now identified by investigators as the prime suspect, it was soon realised that Kohli had already travelled from Heathrow to Delhi on 18 March ostensibly to visit his comatose mother.
[2] On 15 July, after a number of tip-offs, Kohli was arrested by an off-duty policeman in West Bengal's Darjeeling district (where he had been working under an alias for the Red Cross) while trying to board a bus from Kalimpong to Nepal with his new wife.
[2] Kohli was then held in judicial custody in New Delhi pending extradition to the United Kingdom, and the case underwent 100 court proceedings and 35 appeals.
[9][10] When visiting Darjeeling in 2006, Foster's parents heard his story, and on their return to England, worked with others to set up a registered charity which supports Lepcha's school.