Investigators said excessive speed may have contributed after the vehicle left a road near Ijamsville and struck a culvert.
IJAMSVILLE, Md. — Kaylee Hottle, the 18-year-old deaf actor known for playing Jia in two “Godzilla” films, died after a car carrying her and two other people went off a Frederick County road and struck a culvert early Tuesday, authorities said.
The single-vehicle crash happened shortly before 3 a.m. near Ijamsville, according to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office. Hottle was taken from the scene to a trauma center, where she was pronounced dead. Investigators said excessive speed is believed to have contributed to the crash, which remained under investigation.
A 19-year-old Frederick man was driving the 1995 Honda Accord when it traveled off the two-lane road, the sheriff’s office said. The driver was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening. A second passenger declined medical treatment at the scene.
Authorities had not announced any charges or released further findings about the cause of the crash. The sheriff’s office described speed as a suspected contributing factor, not a final determination. The identities of the driver and the other passenger were not released in the information available Wednesday.
Hottle’s father, Joshua Hottle, announced his daughter’s death in an American Sign Language video posted while he was preparing to fly from Texas to Maryland. He said Kaylee’s mother and four siblings were grieving together at home and that he was traveling to bring his daughter back to Texas.
Joshua Hottle also addressed the driver in his video, saying he had forgiven him and urging him not to allow the crash to destroy the rest of his life. Hottle’s mother, Ketsi Hottle, shared a separate message in American Sign Language about the family’s loss.
The Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, where Hottle was a senior, said her death would have a significant effect on students and staff. The school said counseling and support services would be available to classmates, friends and employees.
Hottle became widely known after appearing as Jia in the 2021 film “Godzilla vs. Kong.” Her character, a deaf girl who communicates through sign language, forms a close bond with Kong. Hottle returned to the role in the 2024 sequel, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” She also appeared in an episode of “Magnum P.I.”
Actors who worked with Hottle and members of the deaf entertainment community posted tributes after her death. Millie Bobby Brown said Hottle would be deeply missed. Marlee Matlin wrote that she was “absolutely gutted” and said Hottle’s beauty and talent would be remembered.
The sheriff’s office continued to investigate the circumstances of the crash Wednesday. Officials had not released a timetable for completing the investigation or said whether additional information would be made public.
Author note: Last updated July 22, 2026.