Kaylee Hottle, Deaf 'Godzilla' Actress, Dies at 18 in Car Crash

Kaylee Hottle, the 18-year-old deaf actress recognized for her role as Jia in the "Godzilla vs. Kong" film series, tragically died in a car crash on Tuesday morning in Frederick County, Maryland. Authorities responded to the single-vehicle collision on Windsor Road in Ijamsville, where a 1995 Honda Accord reportedly left the roadway and struck a culvert.

Preliminary investigations suggest that excessive speed was a contributing factor in the incident. Hottle, who was a passenger in the car, was transported to a trauma center, where she was later pronounced dead. The driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries, while another passenger declined medical attention.

The news of her passing was confirmed by her father, Joshua Hottle, and shared by the Texas School for the Deaf, where she was a senior. Hottle gained widespread recognition for her performances in "Godzilla vs. Kong" (2021) and its 2024 sequel, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire."