Kaylee Hottle, the 18-year-old actress known for her role in Godzilla vs. Kong, died of multiple blunt force injuries in a single-vehicle collision in Frederick, Maryland, the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has confirmed.
Details of the Crash
The crash occurred on Tuesday, July 21, at 2:52 a.m. on Windsor Road in Ijamsville. The 1995 Honda Accord, driven by a 19-year-old Frederick man, swerved off the right side of the two-lane roadway and struck a culvert at what may have been excessive speed, according to the Frederick County Sheriff's Department. Hottle was one of two passengers in the car.
The manner of death has been listed as accidental, and an initial autopsy was completed Wednesday morning, according to Deadline.
Father's Statement
Hottle's father, Joshua Hottle, first revealed the news of her death in a 23-minute Facebook livestream, later confirmed to TMZ. He shared in American Sign Language that she died after a car accident in Maryland. He said officials informed him of the crash and that he flew to Maryland to retrieve her body after being notified that her heart stopped on the way to the hospital.
Response at the Scene
The driver was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the second passenger declined medical treatment at the scene. The Sun reported that dispatchers scrambled to find an American Sign Language interpreter to bring to the scene, and that both an ambulance and a medevac helicopter were dispatched, but Hottle was pronounced dead upon arrival at a trauma center.
Career
Hottle, who was deaf, was best known for playing Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and reprised the role in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024).
