A 3-year-old special needs child is in critical condition and a man and woman are behind bars, accused of abusing the juvenile.

DeSoto Parish Sheriff's Deputies were contacted by 911 and told about an EMS call involving a little boy in the 100 block of Kim Circle in Stonewall. Deputies were told the child was unconscious and bleeding from the nose and mouth. DeSoto EMS transported the child to University Health in Shreveport with what were described as life-threatening injuries.

DeSoto Parish Sheriff Rodney Arbuckle told KEEL News the initial report was that the little boy fell off the porch of a trailer. But doctors who examined the child say the injuries are consistent with physical abuse. The juvenile suffered internal bleeding, broken bones, lacerations and bruising.

Detectives gathered enough information to arrest the child's mother, 23-year-old Brittany Acklin, and her boyfriend, 39-year-old Glenn Blomberg, both of Stonewall, for second degree cruelty to juveniles. They've been booked into the DeSoto Parish Detention Center.

Sheriff Arbuckle said his investigators have told him this is the second-worst child abuse they've ever seen.

"My captain over investigations said that he's only seen one that he would put a little worse than this one, and that child actually died," Arbuckle said. "The guy that did this is on death row now."

In that case, Allen Mercer's stepfather, Christopher Sepulvado, immersed the child in scalding water.

Acklin also has a young daughter, who Arbuckle said was removed from the home. He believes the girl is in the custody of other relatives.

More From 96.5 KVKI