Cause of death revealed for 'Godzilla vs Kong' actress Kaylee Hottle after tragic accident
FREDEREICK, MARYLAND: A cause of death has been confirmed for 18-year-old Deaf actress Kaylee Hottle, best known for playing Jia in the 'Godzilla x Kong' franchise, after she died in a car crash on Monday, July 21.
Her death was confirmed by her father, Joshua Hottle, in a Facebook video shared in American Sign Language (ASL), as the entire Hottle family is Deaf. Besides her work in the 'Godzilla x Kong' films, Hottle also appeared in several commercials and an episode of the rebooted 'Magnum PI' television series.
Kaylee Hottle's cause of death revealed after fatal Maryland crash
Her father shared with TMZ that the actress was involved in a car crash on July 21 and died while being transported to a hospital. A day later, her cause of death was confirmed as multiple blunt force injuries, with the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruling the manner of death an accident.
He wrote, "I am taking a flight that I never would like to take," in the caption of the Facebook video announcing his daughter's death. In the video, Joshua explained he was traveling from Texas to Maryland to claim his daughter's body.
An investigation by the Frederick County Sheriff's Office revealed that the single-vehicle crash involving a 1995 Honda Accord occurred in the 11400 block of Windsor Road in Ijamsville, Maryland.
According to the preliminary investigation, a 19-year-old man was driving the vehicle with two other passengers during the early hours of July 21. The car was traveling on a two-lane road when it drifted off the right side and struck a culvert.
"Excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision," a release from the sheriff's office stated. Both the Frederick County Sheriff's Office and the Division of Fire and Rescue Services responded to the crash report at 2:52 am.
Kaylee Hottle's acting career and tributes from co-stars
Hottle was raised in Atlanta and got her start at age 9 after starring in a commercial for Convo, a popular video messaging app used by members of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. She made her feature film debut in 2021's 'Godzilla vs. Kong', starring alongside Alexander Skarsgard and Millie Bobby Brown.
Her role as Jia became a fan favorite as the emotional bridge between Kong and humanity. Hottle reprised the role in 2024's 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire', reuniting with Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry as Jia continued her journey as the adoptive daughter of Hall's Dr Ilene Andrews.
In 2024, she received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Younger Performer in a Film for 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire'.
Skarsgard praised her performance in the film and said he learned American Sign Language on the set during a 2021 interview with 'Junkee'.
"It's her first movie," the actor said, adding, "It's fascinating how comfortable she is in front of the camera and how quickly she takes notes from the director Adam [Wingard]."
He further said, "He'll explain something and she'll be like 'got it, got it' then she'll just do it and everyone's like how did she?' She's so professional and just incredibly … there's so much going on on her face, her expression and the subtleties of that is fascinating to watch."
