Kaylee Hottle, Godzilla vs. Kong star, dies at 18 in Maryland car crash

Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress who played Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong, died on Tuesday after a single-vehicle crash in Ijamsville, Maryland, her father said. She was 18.

TL;DR

• Hottle died Tuesday morning after the car she was travelling in struck a culvert in Ijamsville, Maryland.
• Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed her death in an American Sign Language video posted to Facebook.
• She played Jia, a deaf orphaned girl, in Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and its 2024 sequel.
• Co-stars including Millie Bobby Brown and Rebecca Hall have led tributes from the franchise’s cast.

Hottle’s 2021 casting was widely praised as a milestone for authentic deaf representation in a major blockbuster, which makes her death a significant loss for Hollywood’s deaf and disabled community.

What happened in the crash

Deputies were called to Windsor Road in Ijamsville at around 2:52 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office. A 1995 Honda Accord left the road and struck a culvert; excessive speed is believed to have been a contributing factor.

Three people were in the car, including Hottle, CBS News reported. Her father told TMZ that her heart stopped on the way to the hospital, and that he flew from Texas to Maryland to claim her body.

A breakout role that started at nine

Hottle was nine years old when she made her feature debut as Jia, a deaf, orphaned Iwi girl rescued by Kong, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Born in 2007 into a multi-generational deaf family, she was fluent in American Sign Language, per her Wikipedia page.

Casting directors found her after she appeared in a 2017 commercial for the sign-language app Convo. She reprised the role in 2024’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, where her character’s bond with Rebecca Hall‘s Dr. Ilene Andrews became central to the story. At the time of her death, Hottle was a senior at the Texas School for the Deaf.

Tributes from the Godzilla family

Millie Bobby Brown, who co-starred with Hottle in the first film, wrote on Instagram: “I’m so devastated to hear this. You’ll be deeply missed.”

Hall shared behind-the-scenes photos from set and wrote, “Devastated to hear this news. My heart goes out to your family,” according to ANI. New Empire co-star Dan Stevens also posted a tribute image, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Legendary Pictures, the studio behind the Monsterverse films, praised Hottle’s warmth and the emotional depth she brought to Jia, calling her a cherished member of its film family, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Deaf actress Marlee Matlin also paid tribute, the outlet said.

A story that reached UK screens too

Godzilla vs. Kong‘s star, Alexander Skarsgård, and Hall both learned some American Sign Language so they could communicate with Hottle on set, according to Wikipedia. The film also connected with audiences in Britain.

12A UK age rating the BBFC gave Godzilla vs. Kong, citing moderate fantasy violence and threat. Source: BBFC

Its sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, opened at number one at the UK box office in 2024.

$2.4 million Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s opening-day gross in the UK. Source: Deadline

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Reported from publicly available interviews and verified press sources. Last reviewed July 22, 2026.