Young actress Kaylee Hottle dies in Maryland car crash
Young actress Kaylee Hottle, 18 or 19, died in a Maryland car crash.
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Kaylee Hottle Death
Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actress known for roles in the Godzilla films and television series Magnum P.I., died on July 21, 2025 in a single-vehicle car crash in Maryland. She was 18 years old.
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2026-08-15 to 2026-11-12 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 22 Jul, 00:15 UTC
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What happened
Kaylee Hottle starred in Godzilla franchise films
Kaylee Hottle played the character Jia in the 2021 blockbuster film 'Godzilla vs. Kong' and reprised the role in the 2024 sequel 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire'. In the films, her character communicated with King Kong through sign language and lived on Skull Island with Dr. Ilene Andrews, played by Rebecca Hall. Hottle earned a Saturn Award nomination for Best Performance by a Younger Actor for her work in the 2024 film.
Kaylee Hottle's father announced her death via Facebook livestream
Joshua Hottle, Kaylee's father, announced his daughter's death on July 21, 2025 in a Facebook livestream conducted entirely in American Sign Language. He explained that he was flying from Texas to Maryland to claim his daughter's body. In the livestream, he stated that law enforcement officials had called him to inform him that Kaylee's heart had stopped on her way to the hospital following the car crash. He captioned the video with the message 'I am taking a flight I never would like to take.'
Kaylee Hottle dies in car crash in Maryland
Kaylee Hottle, a deaf actress known for roles in the Godzilla franchise, died on July 21, 2025 after a single-vehicle car crash in Ijamsville, Maryland in the early morning hours. The crash occurred shortly before 3 a.m. when a 1995 Honda Accord operated by a 19-year-old Frederick resident traveled off the right side of a two-lane roadway and struck a culvert. Excessive speed was believed to be a contributing factor. Hottle was a passenger in the vehicle and was transported to a trauma center where she was pronounced dead.
Kaylee Hottle was 18 or 19 years old at time of death
Kaylee Hottle was born on May 1, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia. Multiple sources report conflicting ages at the time of her death on July 21, 2025, stating she was either 18 or 19 years old. She came from a multi-generational deaf family and was raised in Austin, Texas, where she attended the Texas School for the Deaf.
Texas School for the Deaf mourns Kaylee Hottle's death
The Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas, where Kaylee Hottle attended as a student, publicly grieved her death on Instagram. The school stated that Kaylee was one of their TSD seniors and expressed that her loss would have a significant impact on the TSD community.
Kaylee Hottle appeared in television series Magnum P.I.
Kaylee Hottle appeared in a season 4 episode of the television series 'Magnum P.I.' reboot, where she portrayed the character Joon.
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