The 31-year-old man, who is originally from Lithuania, was arrested earlier this month after police found the body of the teenage schoolgirl following one of the most high profile missing person cases in Swedish history. His older brother was also detained and remains in police custody.
One of the prosecutors considering the case, Lars-Göran Wennerholm said on Tuesday that forensic evidence had “strengthened suspicions against the older 35-year-old brother and simultaneously weakened suspicions against his younger brother”.
He added that he believed “the investigation is moving forward in a good way” and said that despite the release of the 31-year-old, both he and another woman arrested two weeks ago remained “in the picture” as officials continued to delve into the case.
The freed suspect’s lawyer told the TT news agency on Tuesday that he was “relieved” by the news but would not comment on whether his client was planning to return to Lithuania.
READ ALSO: Murdered schoolgirl's family speaks of loss
Lisa Holm disappeared after working a shift at a cafe on June 7th in Lidköping, a small town in a rural area north east of Gothenburg, close to two of Sweden's largest lakes.
Around 900 volunteers joined the hunt for the teenager, searching woodland, fields and buildings in the region. Her body was found a week later.
A preliminary autopsy confirmed that Holm, who was 17, did not die from natural causes.
“We cannot understand that Lisa is gone, she had so much to live for,” some of her relatives told local newspaper Skaraborgs Allehanda (SLA) let week in their first interview since the schoolgirl’s death.
“We had hoped until the last moment that she would be found alive.”
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