Actress Kaylee Hottle, known for her role as Jia in "Godzilla vs. Kong," died Tuesday at the age of 18 following a car crash in Ijamsville, Maryland. The Frederick County Sheriff’s Department reported that the vehicle Hottle was traveling in swerved off the road and struck a culvert around 3 a.m.
The 1995 Honda Accord was driven by a 19-year-old male who police believe was traveling at excessive speeds. Hottle was one of two passengers in the vehicle. The driver sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital. The second passenger did not require medical attention.
Hottle was taken to a trauma center, where she was pronounced dead. The crash remains under investigation.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, who is deaf, shared the news of her death in an emotional Facebook video, stating he learned about the crash while in Texas and that his daughter’s heart had stopped on the way to the hospital. He was en route to Maryland to claim her body.
Hottle, who was also deaf, was born in Georgia and grew up in Austin, Texas, attending the Texas School for the Deaf. She began her acting career at age 9 with a commercial for Glide, a video messaging app used by the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Her breakout role came in 2021 as Jia in director Adam Wingard’s "Godzilla vs. Kong." In the film, her character communicated with King Kong using sign language. She reprised the role in the 2021 sequel, "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire."