Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed the tragedy, noting that she passed away while being transported to a hospital after a collision on Windsor Road.
The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies responded to a single-vehicle collision at approximately 2:52 a.m. on Tuesday. Preliminary investigations indicate that a 1995 Honda Accord left the roadway and struck a culvert, with authorities citing excessive speed as a contributing factor. Hottle, who was a passenger in the vehicle, was taken to a trauma center where she was later pronounced dead. The 19-year-old driver of the vehicle was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, and a second passenger declined treatment at the scene, according to Newsweek.
A Rising Talent in the MonsterVerse
Hottle gained international recognition for her portrayal of Jia, an orphan who communicates with Kong through American Sign Language, in the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong.
She reprised the role in the 2024 sequel, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.
Her performance in the latter film earned her a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor, as noted by Screenrant.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 1, 2007, Hottle came from a multi-generational deaf family. Her acting career began in commercials, including a prominent PSA for the video messaging app Glide when she was nine years old. Her breakthrough in the MonsterVerse came after a casting director spotted her in a 2017 advertisement for the video relay service app Convo, The Independent reported.
Tributes from the Texas School for the Deaf
At the time of her death, Hottle was a senior at the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland. Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time.”
Texas School for the Deaf, via Facebook
Joshua Hottle Shares News of the Loss
Hottle’s father, Joshua Hottle, shared the news of his daughter’s death through a 23-minute livestream on Facebook. In the video, delivered in American Sign Language, he explained that he had flown from Texas to Maryland after being notified by officials of the crash and his daughter’s subsequent death.
“I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.”
Joshua Hottle, father of Kaylee Hottle
Hottle’s professional representation, Japan Legends Agency, declined to speak on behalf of the family, referring inquiries instead to the statements made by her father. Outside of her work in the Godzilla franchise, Hottle appeared in an episode of the “Magnum P.I.” reboot in 2021.
Alexander Skarsgård, who worked alongside Hottle in “Godzilla vs. Kong,” noted in 2021 that he and Rebecca Hall learned American Sign Language to better communicate with her during production. He described her as incredibly professional
and noted that her facial expressions and subtle acting were fascinating to watch.
The investigation into the collision on Windsor Road is being conducted by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office.
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