Child actor Kaylee Hottle killed in car crash

Kaylee Hottle, a child actor most well known for her role in two “Godzilla” movies, died in a car accident Tuesday in Frederick, Maryland.

She was 18.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away,” the Texas School for the Deaf said in a statement Tuesday.

“Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement added.

In a statement, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said that a 1995 Honda Accord, driven by a 19-year-old man, traveled off the road and hit a culvert just before 3 a.m.

The driver was taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, the sheriff’s office said. One passenger refused medical treatment at the scene.

Hottle was the other passenger, according to the sheriff’s department statement. She was transported from the scene of the crash to a trauma center, where she was pronounced dead.

“Excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision,” the sheriff’s office said.

The school has asked that “everyone respect the privacy of Kaylee’s family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the accident.”

Hottle’s father, Joshua Hottle, posted a video on Facebook announcing his daughter’s death. In the video, he spoke only in American Sign Language.

“I am taking a flight that I never would like to take,” he said, according to NBC News affiliate WBAL in Baltimore. He said he was flying to Maryland from Texas.

It was not immediately clear why Hottle was in Maryland at the time of the crash.

Hottle played Jia in 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong,” and reprised the role in “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire” in 2024.

“We recognize this loss will have a significant impact on our TSD community,” the school said, noting that counseling services will be available for students and staff who may need them.

“Please keep Kaylee’s loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together,” the school wrote.

Hottle spoke highly of her school in a 2024 interview with the Houston Chronicle, while also discussing the life being an actor has afforded her as a deaf woman.

“I’d like to see more deaf young actresses get motivated when they see me on screen and hopefully they’ll have a chance in Hollywood as well,” she told the outlet. “But I just hope that they’ll be inspired, especially deaf people, to be inspired to want to be an actor or actress when they see me on screen.”

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