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I'm going to go out on a limb (saw in hand) and say that if the runner, who had missesd the plate, tries to return and touch home, but does nottouch home before the third out is recorded, then the run does not score, but if he goes straight to the dugout and the defense does not appeal the miss of the plate, then the run scores.
There are two basic reasons for this view on my part. The first is that the rules/accepted interpretations state that if the runner tries to return and touch the plate, he is in fact trying to gain the base and must be tagged by the defense just as though he was approaching the plate from 3rd. If he touches the plate prior to the 3rd out the run scores, if he doesn't make it back to the plate prior to the third out, the run doesn't count. The rules also state that if he misses the base and doesn't try to return, then he can be called out on appeal, and a advantageous 4th out appeal can nullify the run if the defense is clever.
The second reason that I would rule this way is far more pragmatic. If the runner tries to return and touch the plate, he has, by his actions, announced for everyone to see that he missed the plate in the first place so his run was not legally scored prior to the third out being recorded, therefore I feel justified in not scoring the run. If he doesn't try to return, but instead heads for the dugout, then his actions imply that he believes the run was scored, so unless the defense is astute enough to appeal the missed base, I'm going to give him credit for the run.
Now finally as to when the ball becomes dead after the 3rd out (as clearly it must or we wouldn't have to put it back into play to begin the next half inning) I would contend that the ball becomes dead after the defensive team has left the field after the 3rd out since that is the point at which an appeal can no longer be made. Up until that point, the ball must remain alive to allow any possible appeals.
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