This morning, the funeral of Nikoline Piwoni Høie was held at Trinity Church (Trefoldighetskirken) in Arendal. She was found dead in Mijas, Spain, on 6 July. The investigation appears to have stalled, and the family is shielding itself from difficult questions.

– A life cut far too short. A love that will never end, read the death notice published in Agderposten.

Her sister Kornelia and her stepsisters Isabelle and Mathilda delivered memorial speeches before a packed church.

– Everything has changed. But I see you everywhere. I have so much love that I don’t know what to do with. I took it for granted that this love would always have somewhere to live, Isabelle said in her speech, as quoted by Agderposten.

Conflicting information

What has happened since Document last wrote about the investigation into the death makes little sense. The information provided to the press points in completely different directions.

Uber has, on the one hand, refused to disclose details of its internal investigation. This emerges from an article in The Olive Press that was later taken down, for reasons unknown.

To El Español, however, the same company claims that Nikoline Høie arrived at the destination to which she had booked the Uber journey, meaning that she did not ask to be let out in the middle of the motorway, as the Spanish police’s account maintains.

According to Uber’s statement, it was Nikoline herself who booked the journey.

The police version is entirely different, however, according to El Mundo. There, the sequence of events is presented as though the two other people travelling in the Uber car, allegedly two young men about whom no information has been disclosed, got out before Nikoline.

These details were added to the police’s reconstruction of events after the story initially presented by the authorities.

Nikoline is then said to have continued alone in another Uber. The newspaper assumes that the two men with whom she shared the car were in fact her friends when it relays the police’s claim that “one of her friends booked and paid for the journey using the app installed on his mobile phone.”

– Did not have the exact address

The newspaper also presents it as fact that Nikoline’s own mobile phone had run out of battery at around 4.00 a.m.

– Since it appears that they did not have the exact address of the destination [where Nikoline was going], they set the destination as a restaurant/bar near Riviera [del Sol], the newspaper further writes.

However, the same article states that Nikoline was staying in Calahonda, a residential area that cannot be reached by getting out of a taxi in Riviera del Sol, even though it is nearby. The information that Nikoline’s mother and stepfather have a house in Calahonda contradicts reports published by the Spanish press in the days after her death became known. At that time, it was reported that the family lived in Fuengirola, approximately 11 kilometres further from the location where the 17-year-old was found.

El Mundo also presents it as fact that, according to the Uber driver, Nikoline “appeared somewhat disorientated” when he dropped her off “at the agreed location and drove away”. However, the possible consequences for the driver of leaving a disorientated teenage girl on a motorway where pedestrians are prohibited are not addressed.

The family is shielding itself

Nikoline Høie’s relatives do not wish to answer questions at this time.

– At the present time, I am unable to answer your questions, Finn Greve-Isdahl Jr., the family’s spokesman, wrote when Document contacted him last week. Several members of the family had then been in Spain for a number of weeks.

– The family has now returned home to Arendal, and they are shielding themselves. They are going through a very difficult time and are focusing, as far as they are able, on the planned funeral.

Among the questions Document has sought to clarify is whether the family has been informed about the Danish eyewitness’s police statement, about which Document has previously written.

Among other things, we asked whether the dark-haired girl referred to by the witness is known to the family and is identical to Nikoline’s friend, who went to the toilet at the venue and was then unable to find Nikoline again – or whether this may have been another person she met earlier that evening.

We also asked whether the police in Spain or Norway had obtained location data from Nikoline’s mobile network operator, and, if not, whether efforts were under way to obtain it.

The family will neither confirm nor deny whether Nikoline’s mobile phone was found near the scene of the incident, as claimed by the Spanish press, nor whether it is true that Nikoline did not know the address where she was staying well enough for it to be used to book an Uber.

Two weeks without new information

When Document spoke to the Danish eyewitness, she had been informed by the police that they would provide further details “before the weekend”. It has now been more than ten days.

On 16 July, the last known public statement was made by prosecutor Javier Salas in Málaga Province. He told El Español that the investigation was “continuing” and that he hoped they would reach a conclusion “within the next few hours or days”.

It is known that blood samples were taken from the deceased, but the results of those tests, and of any post-mortem examination, have not been made public.

In the case of Even Vinsjevik Ervik, almost five years earlier, no post-mortem examination was carried out. He was struck by a car on the same motorway where Nikoline was found, but was discovered less than one kilometre from the centre of Puerto Banús, where he had last been seen by his friends.

– In a good place in life

At the church in Arendal, the service was led by Dean (prost) Jorunn Raddum, who also read the memorial message from Nikoline’s mother.

– It feels infinitely unfair that her life should end here. This was when the future was supposed to begin! At home, a newly renovated bedroom was waiting for her. And so many, many days that were meant to be filled with joy and wonderful things, with plans and hopes for what lay ahead.

Nikoline dreamed of studying international law in Dublin and cared deeply about injustice and the world around her.

Dean Raddum said that Nikoline had thoroughly enjoyed her holiday in Spain and had been looking forward to returning home, first of all to celebrate her birthday with her friends.

– Then she was going to work and spend time with friends, and, not least, she was going to attend the national summer camp of the Young Conservatives (Unge Høyre). Her summer was almost fully booked, and you felt that she was in a good place in life.

The 17-year-old was active in a theatre group and is described as a fearless person who spoke her mind and enjoyed discussing things.

Raddum said that those closest to Nikoline had told her that the 17-year-old would have wanted us to speak truthfully about life. VG, which attended the ceremony, reports this.

– When someone had problems, she did not believe they should be swept under the carpet. When someone needed encouragement, you should not offer empty words. The words had to be thoughtful and personal, formulated in such a way that the person receiving them felt important and special. And everyone was important and special, Nikoline believed.

That is why she would correct you if you happened to make a negative remark about someone. Everyone should be allowed to be themselves. That was what she wanted for herself as well – to be allowed to be herself, the dean said.