Kaylee Hottle, ‘Godzilla vs Kong’ Actor, Dies Aged 18 After Maryland Crash

Kaylee Hottle, the Deaf actor who played Jia in two of Hollywood’s recent Godzilla films, has died after a single-vehicle collision in Maryland. Police said the circumstances remain under investigation.

Kaylee Hottle, best known for her performance as Jia in Godzilla vs Kong, died on Tuesday 21 July after the car in which she was travelling left a road in Ijamsville, Maryland. She was 18.

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said emergency crews were called to the 11400 block of Windsor Road at about 2.52am. A preliminary investigation found that a 1995 Honda Accord, driven by a 19-year-old man, left the right-hand side of the two-lane road and struck a culvert.

Hottle, who was from Kyle, Texas, was one of two passengers. She was taken to a trauma centre and later pronounced dead. The driver suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, while the other passenger declined treatment at the scene.

Investigators believe excessive speed may have contributed to the collision, but the sheriff’s office stressed that the inquiry is continuing. That assessment remains preliminary rather than a final finding about responsibility.

Hottle’s father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed her death in an American Sign Language video posted while travelling from Texas to Maryland. Her parents and siblings are also Deaf, and Hottle was a native ASL signer.

The Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, where Hottle was a senior, said counselling and support would be offered to students and staff affected by her death. The school also asked people to respect the family’s privacy and avoid speculation about the crash.

A Breakthrough Role For Deaf Representation

Hottle made her feature-film debut as Jia in the 2021 blockbuster Godzilla vs Kong. Her character, a Deaf orphan living on Skull Island, forms a close relationship with Kong and communicates with him through sign language.

The role placed ASL at the centre of a major international studio film rather than treating it as a peripheral detail. Co-stars Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgård learnt ASL so they could communicate with Hottle directly during production.

She returned as Jia in the 2024 sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, alongside Hall and Brian Tyree Henry. Her performance earned a Saturn Award nomination for best performance by a younger actor. Hottle had also appeared in advertising campaigns and an episode of the rebooted television series Magnum P.I.

Speaking before the sequel’s release, Hottle explained that her work carried a wider message for aspiring Deaf performers. “I want deaf people to know that they can do that too, just like me,” she said. “There are no limits.”

Her death prompted tributes from actors including Hall, Millie Bobby Brown, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Alaqua Cox. Hall, who played Jia’s adoptive mother in the films, wrote that she was devastated by the news and said Hottle would be missed.

The collision is being investigated by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit. Police have appealed for witnesses or anyone with relevant information to contact the investigating officer.