Kaylee Hottle, a deaf American actress who is best known for Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), has died in a car accident in the United States. She was 18.
Hottle, who was hearing impaired, portrayed a deaf girl who shared a unique bond with King Kong through sign language, earning widespread appreciation for her performance.
According to officials, Hottle was travelling as a passenger in a car that crashed late Tuesday night. The driver sustained injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said the accident occurred at around 2:52 am on Windsor Road in Ijamsville, Maryland. A 19-year-old man was driving a Honda Accord when it reportedly veered off the road and crashed into a culvert.
Investigators believe the vehicle was travelling at a high speed, which may have contributed to the crash. Both occupants were taken to hospital, where Hottle was pronounced dead. The driver remains under treatment.
The news of Hottle’s death was first shared by her father, Joshua Hottle, during a Facebook Live session and was later confirmed by the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin.
In a statement on Instagram, the school expressed grief over the loss. “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,” the statement read.
The school requested privacy for Hottle’s family and urged people not to speculate about the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Born in 2007, Kaylee Hottle began her acting career through advertisements before being discovered by casting director Sarah Halley Finn after appearing in a commercial for the Convo video relay service app.
She was cast as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong after filmmakers felt she was the ideal fit for the role.
In a 2024 interview with Chron magazine, Hottle said the director carefully explained every scene to her, while her parents helped her understand the script, enabling her to confidently portray the character.
She reprised the role in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) and also appeared in a small role in the Prime Video series Magnum P.I.