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Left: Kaylee Hottle at the 2024 premiere of “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire”, right: Hottle as Jia in “Godzilla vs Kong” (Getty Images/Texas School for the Deaf)

AUSTIN, Texas – Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actress and student at the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, has died in a car crash in Maryland, according to her father and school.

She was 18.

What they’re saying:

Her father Joshua Hottle shared the news in an almost 23-minute livestream on Facebook, captioned “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.”

According to reporting by TMZ, Joshua stated in ASL that he learned his daughter was involved in a serious car accident, and that officials had called him shortly after the initial shock to tell him she had died on the way to the hospital.

Kaylee attended the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, which shared a statement on her death on social media:

“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.

At this time, we have very limited information and ask that everyone respect the privacy of Kaylee’s family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the accident.

We recognize this loss will have a significant impact on our TSD community. Counseling and support services are available for students and staff who may need them, with additional support being provided for Kaylee’s classmates and friends.

Please keep Kaylee’s loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together.”

Dig deeper:

Kaylee was an Atlanta, Georgia native from a multi-generational deaf family who got her start in commercials when she was just nine years old.

Kaylee gained widespread recognition for her role as Jia in Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla vs Kong” (2021), and its sequel “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” (2024). 

Her character was a young orphaned deaf girl who formed a unique and powerful bond with Kong via sign language.

Her IMDb credits also include a role in season 4 of the “Magnum P.I.” reboot, and she was set to star alongside fellow deaf actress Alaqua Cox (Marvel’s “Echo”, “Hawkeye”) in the upcoming film “What Doesn’t Kill Us”.

The backstory:

The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office released information on the crash.

Deputies and EMS were called to the scene of the single-vehicle crash just before 3 a.m. July 21.

A preliminary investigation shows that the car, a 1995 Honda Accord, was being driven by a 19-year-old Frederick man and had driven off the right side of the two-lane roadway and struck a culvert.

Officials believe that excessive speed contributed to the crash.

Three people were in the car, including Kaylee, the driver and a second passenger. The driver was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and the other passenger declined medical treatment at the scene.

Kaylee was taken from the scene to an area trauma center where she was pronounced dead.

The crash is still under investigation by the sheriff’s office, which is asking anyone with information to contact Dfc. Rose at 301-600-1046. 

The Source: Information in this report comes from the Texas School for the Deaf, TMZ, Kaylee’s father Joshua Hottle, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and previous reporting by FOX 7 Austin.

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