SAN JOSE, Calif. >> Police say two people found dead in an apparent murder-suicide at a Northern California strip mall parking lot were once a couple and that a toddler found nearby is their daughter.

The 17-month-old girl was found inside a car near where her parents’ bodies were found Saturday in the shopping center’s parking lot in San Jose.

Police said Sunday that the man walked up to the woman and fired a single shot into her head before turning the gun on himself.

Authorities have not released the former couple’s names, citing efforts to contact their next of kin, but said they were San Jose residents.

The child was placed in the care of Santa Clara County Child Protective Services.