The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said the teenager, who played Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, was a passenger in a car that left the road and hit a culvert, with excessive speed believed to be a factor.
Kaylee Hottle, the young actress who appeared in the Godzilla film franchise, has died at the age of 18 following a car crash in Frederick County, Maryland, authorities have confirmed. The Atlanta-born performer, best known for playing Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, was a passenger in a vehicle that left the road in the early hours of Tuesday. She was taken to a trauma centre but was later pronounced dead, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said.
Deputies and the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services were called at around 2:52am to the 11400 block of Windsor Road in Ijamsville. According to the sheriff’s office, a preliminary investigation found that a 1995 Honda Accord being driven by a 19-year-old man from Frederick left the right-hand side of the two-lane road and struck a culvert. Investigators believe excessive speed contributed to the crash.
Three people were travelling in the car. The driver was taken to a local hospital with injuries that authorities do not believe to be life-threatening, while a second passenger declined medical treatment at the scene. The third occupant, identified by the sheriff’s office as Hottle, was transported to an area trauma centre, where she died.
Hottle was born in Atlanta and had recently been living in Kyle, Texas. She rose to prominence through her portrayal of Jia in the two Godzilla films, and according to her IMDb biography she came from a multigenerational deaf family and was a native user of American Sign Language — a background that helped open the door to her acting career.
