A city mother, who faced neglect charges after her son died of blood poisoning two years ago, on Tuesday tearfully urged a judge to allow her to see her second child - a daughter who had been abused.

"Give her a hug and a kiss for me," Angela Leasure, 27, said to the foster parents who have been caring for Kaylan Leasure since spring.

At that time, citing a pattern of "sadistic" abuse and a history of broken bones and unexplained trauma to both children, Butler County Courts decided Leasure's parental rights should end.

Tuesday's hearing before President Judge Thomas Doerr was a standard review of Kaylan's case. The termination process is on hold as both Leasure and Kaylan's father, Ryan Napier, are appealing to the state's Superior Court.

"If I get her back, the mother-daughter bond will be broken," Leasure said in trying to convince Doerr to let her see Kaylan.

The judge did not immediately respond to the request.

Kaylan, now 1, was removed from her parents' house when she was 4 months old.

Already, at least four of Kaylan's bones had been broken on at least two occasions, and she had unexplained scabs on her toes, according to court documents.

Kaylan was born 8 months after Leasure's son, Dylan, 4, died on Oct. 31, 2002.

City police charged Leasure with neglect, claiming she knew Dylan was ill for hours, and didn't seek medical help until after the boy died of a blood infection. But the county district attorney's office later withdrew the case, citing an ongoing investigation.

Prior to Dylan's death, he too suffered unexplained injuries, including a crushed finger that became gangrenous due to medical neglect, bruising to his scrotum and penis and a burn on his leg, according to court records.

Juvenile court master Gwilym Price, who recommended Leasure's rights be severed, did not determine which parent was the abuser. Rather, Price said whichever parent was not harming the children surely knew about the abuse and did nothing.

Napier was not Dylan's father. However, he lived with Leasure when Dylan died.

Napier did not attend Tuesday's hearing because he is in jail in North Carolina, according to the court testimony of his attorney, Ron Thomas.

Both Leasure and Napier have denied hurting either of the children, a claim Leasure repeated Tuesday.

"I would never hurt her. I would never let him hurt her," she said.

Leasure spoke directly to the judge because "she does not trust my representation," she said of her attorney Armand Cingolani.

Leasure told the judge she did not believe Cingolani was working on her behalf.

"I had no chance" in the custody hearings, Leasure said specifically referring to a Pittsburgh newspaper article in which Cingolani was quoted as saying Leasure is either "criminal or just stupid."

Doerr granted Cingolani's request to withdraw as Leasure's attorney.

Doerr decided Leasure could have a new attorney. Her case will be reviewed again in September.