Esthela Romero Bringas dies amid $600 million inheritance dispute

Esthela Romero Bringas, a prominent businesswoman and heir to the estate of Socorro Romero Sánchez, has died at the age of 87 at her home. Romero Bringas was the universal heir to the assets of Socorro Romero Sánchez, the founder of a major poultry consortium based in Tehuacán, Puebla.

Her death follows a long-standing and complex legal battle over an inheritance estimated to be worth approximately $600 million, consisting primarily of company properties and bank holdings. The dispute centered on a will executed by Socorro Romero Sánchez shortly before her death, which named Esthela Romero Bringas as the beneficiary. The validity of this document has been challenged in court by Olga Lucía Romero García-Crespo, a niece of the founder and a political leader in Puebla.

In recent months, Romero Bringas's health had been a matter of public attention amidst ongoing legal proceedings. In April, she was detained by the Puebla State Attorney General's Office as part of the investigation into the succession process, though she was later released from the Ciudad Serdán prison.