Kaylee Hottle, the 18-year-old actress known for her role in two Godzilla films, died early yesterday following a car accident in the US state of Maryland, police said.
According to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Hottle was travelling in a 1995 Honda Accord with another passenger. The car, driven by a 19-year-old man, veered off a two-lane highway and struck a culvert.
Police said they responded to the crash at about 2:52am yesterday. Investigators believe excessive speed may have contributed to the collision, and the investigation is ongoing.
Hottle was taken to hospital, where she was later pronounced dead. The driver suffered injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, while the other passenger declined medical treatment.
Hottle, who was deaf, played Jia in Godzilla v Kong and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. She was nominated for the 2024 Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, announced her death in a tearful Facebook video using American Sign Language. The Texas School for the Deaf, where she was a student, described her death as a “tremendous loss” and expressed condolences to her family, friends and classmates, while asking the public not to speculate about the circumstances of the accident.
