The man arrested over the death of Norwegian teenager Nikoline Piwoni Høie in Mijas has been released without charge.
A court in Fuengirola ordered the release of the suspect on Wednesday after extending his detention the previous day.
According to the High Court of Justice of Andalucia (TSJA), no precautionary measures have been imposed and the man is not currently under formal investigation for any criminal offence.
The investigation remains in the hands of the Investigating Court in Fuengirola.
The Spanish man, aged between 40 and 50, was arrested in Calahonda on Monday.
It came after investigators linked him to a white Ford van with damage believed to be consistent with the collision that killed Nikoline, 17, on the A-7 motorway near Mijas in the early hours of July 6.
Officers had recovered fragments of glass from the scene and analysed CCTV footage and traffic camera recordings before identifying the vehicle.
The van has since been seized and remains subject to forensic examination as investigators continue gathering evidence.
Nikoline was struck at around 5.20am on the A-7 after getting out of an Uber vehicle in the Riviera del Sol area of Mijas.
Emergency services were called by witnesses who reported that a young woman had been hit on the motorway, but paramedics could only confirm her death.
The teenager had travelled to Marbella for a holiday and had watched Norway’s World Cup victory over Brazil before going out with friends to Puerto Banus, Marbella, to celebrate.
According to sources close to the investigation quoted by EFE, detectives now believe Nikoline’s mobile phone battery had run out.
Investigators believe a friend arranged and paid for an Uber journey for her to the address she remembered in Mijas, where she was staying.
She is then believed to have got out of the vehicle and attempted to cross the motorway, where she was struck.
Before her body was identified, her mother had reported her missing after being unable to contact her and filed a missing person report with police.
The Guardia Civil says several lines of inquiry remain open as officers continue working to establish exactly what happened during Nikoline’s final hours and the circumstances surrounding the fatal collision.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
