PHOENIX – The 4-year-old daughter of boxer Mike Tyson died Tuesday, a day after her neck accidentally was caught in a treadmill cord while she was playing at home, police said.

Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill said Exodus Tyson was pronounced dead in a Phoenix hospital just before noon. Police have said their investigation showed it was a “tragic accident.”

Police said the girl was playing on a treadmill Monday in her central Phoenix home when she either slipped or put her head in the loop of a cord hanging under the console. Exodus’ 7-year-old brother found her and alerted his mother. She took Exodus off the cord, called 911 and tried to revive her.

Responding officers and firefighters performed CPR on Exodus as they took her to the hospital, where she had been listed in critical condition since Monday.

Tyson was in Las Vegas at the time of the accident and flew Monday to Phoenix, where he was seen entering the hospital.

“There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus,” the Tyson family said in a statement. “We ask you now to please respect our need at this very difficult time for privacy to grieve and try to help each other heal.”

The family has not yet made funeral arrangements, a spokeswoman said.

Hill said it was unclear whether an autopsy would be performed.

Neighbors in the modest, central Phoenix subdivision described Exodus as smart and sweet.

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Associated Press Writer Terry Tang contributed to this report.

Tyson’s 4-year-old daughter was found with her neck on a treadmill cable around her neck at their Phoenix home Monday May 25, 2009, police said. Photo by (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Ross D. Franklin