Esther Ballestrino

Esther Ballestrino de Careaga
Esther Ballestrino
Born	20 January 1918 Encarnación, Paraguay
Died	18 December 1977(1977-12-18) (aged 59) near Santa Teresita by the Argentine Sea
Cause of death	Murder by "death flight"
Known for	Political activism

Esther Ballestrino de Careaga (20 January 1918 – disappeared 17 or 18 December 1977) was a Paraguayan biochemist and political activist. She is most notable for her connection to the future Pope Francis and her forced disappearance (abduction and murder) in Argentina by the military dictatorship of the National Reorganization Process (1976–1983). She had helped found Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, which organised protests by the mothers of missing children taken by the authorities.