A toddler boy is clinging to life at a Birmingham hospital in what investigators say is a horrific case of abuse and neglect.

“I’ve been here 20 years and I’ve not seen one this bad,’’ said Attalla police Chief Investigator Doug Jordan. “This is the worst child abuse case where the child is still alive.”

The 21-month-old boy’s mother and stepfather were arrested this week and remain jailed. The boy is on life-support at Children’s of Alabama.

The investigation began Thursday, Jan. 23, when the child’s mother, 27-year-old Maria Francisco Huang showed up at Children’s of Alabama. Hospital staff first called Rainbow City police and then it was determined that the alleged crimes happened in Attalla.

“That’s an hour or more drive and she passed two hospitals on the way,’’ Jordan said. “The child was having trouble breathing when they arrived.”

According to court records, the child was severely malnourished, and he had numerous fractures, bruising and a brain bleed. The abuse is believed to have taken place over a period of several months.

Huang was arrested Monday on a felony charge of aggravated child abuse. Her husband, 28-year-old Jose Morales-Calvo, was jailed Tuesday on the same charge. Both remain held in the Etowah County Detention Center on $250,000 bond. Each.

Authorities said Morales-Calvo is an undocumented immigrant who has previously been deported from the U.S. Huang was arrested one year ago on charges of domestic violence/strangulation and unlawful imprisonment involving an adult female victim. In that case, she is accused of choking a woman “to the point she couldn’t breathe.” Those cases have been forwarded to a grand jury for indictment consideration.

Jordan said neither suspect is cooperating with authorities. Two other young children – a toddler and an infant - were taken from the home and have been placed in the custody of the Department of Human Resources. Jordan said they are in good health.

The investigator said the prognosis for the little boy is dire. “We’re not sure if he’ll pull through,’’ he said. “It’s a really sad situation. No child should be exposed to what this child has been exposed to. It’s heart-wrenching.”