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18-Year-Old Godzilla Actress Kaylee Hottle Dies in Maryland Car Crash
Kaylee Hottle, 18, was killed Tuesday morning in a single‑vehicle collision in Ijamsville, Frederick County, Maryland. At about 2:52 a.m., a 19‑year‑old Frederick resident driving a Honda Accord left the right side of the 11400 block of Windsor Road and struck a culvert. Deputies from the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office and the Division of Fire and Rescue Services arrived quickly. The driver was trapped in the vehicle and transported to a hospital with non‑life‑threatening injuries, while Hottle, a passenger, was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced deceased. A second passenger was not injured.
The sheriff’s office said the crash is still under investigation and that excessive speed was believed to be a contributing factor. Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to contact the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit at 301‑600‑1046.
Hottle was best known for her role as Jia in the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong and its 2024 sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. In both movies she portrayed a deaf girl who communicates with Kong through American Sign Language, a performance that earned her a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.
A senior at the Texas School for the Deaf in Kyle, Texas, Hottle was a student of the school’s program. The school released a statement expressing profound sadness over her death, offering counseling and support services to students and staff, and requesting privacy for the family.
Hottle’s father, Joshua Hottle, posted a 23‑minute video on Facebook in American Sign Language announcing his daughter’s death. He said he was flying from Texas to Maryland at the time of the crash.
Ijamsville is an unincorporated community southeast of Frederick and part of the Washington metropolitan area. The crash site is located on Windsor Road, a local thoroughfare that runs through the community.
The investigation continues. The sheriff’s office has not released further details beyond the preliminary findings of excessive speed and the driver’s injuries, and the driver’s identity has not been disclosed. The community, the Texas School for the Deaf, and the broader film industry are mourning the loss of a young actress who brought authentic deaf representation to a major Hollywood franchise.
No additional information is available at this time.
The sheriff’s office said the crash is still under investigation and that excessive speed was believed to be a contributing factor. Witnesses or anyone with information are asked to contact the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit at 301‑600‑1046.
Hottle was best known for her role as Jia in the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong and its 2024 sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. In both movies she portrayed a deaf girl who communicates with Kong through American Sign Language, a performance that earned her a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.
A senior at the Texas School for the Deaf in Kyle, Texas, Hottle was a student of the school’s program. The school released a statement expressing profound sadness over her death, offering counseling and support services to students and staff, and requesting privacy for the family.
Hottle’s father, Joshua Hottle, posted a 23‑minute video on Facebook in American Sign Language announcing his daughter’s death. He said he was flying from Texas to Maryland at the time of the crash.
Ijamsville is an unincorporated community southeast of Frederick and part of the Washington metropolitan area. The crash site is located on Windsor Road, a local thoroughfare that runs through the community.
The investigation continues. The sheriff’s office has not released further details beyond the preliminary findings of excessive speed and the driver’s injuries, and the driver’s identity has not been disclosed. The community, the Texas School for the Deaf, and the broader film industry are mourning the loss of a young actress who brought authentic deaf representation to a major Hollywood franchise.
No additional information is available at this time.
