Cause of death revealed for 18-year-old ‘Godzilla’ actress Kaylee Hottle, reports say - Action News 5

What the report says

Action News 5, carrying a Gray News report, said authorities have reportedly identified the cause of death for 18-year-old actress Kaylee Hottle after a traffic crash in Maryland earlier this week. Citing multiple reports, the outlet said Maryland’s medical examiner found that Hottle died from multiple blunt force injuries and classified the death as accidental.

According to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office account cited in the report, Hottle was riding in a 1995 Honda Accord in Ijamsville early Tuesday when the vehicle left the right side of a two-lane road and struck a culvert. The car was being driven by a 19-year-old man. Hottle was transported to a trauma center and later died. The driver was hospitalized with injuries described as not life-threatening, while another passenger declined treatment at the scene.

The sheriff’s office said excessive speed was believed to have contributed to the crash, but the collision remains under investigation. The report did not state that any charges had been filed or identify the driver or other passenger.

Hottle, who was deaf, was known for playing Jia in “Godzilla vs. Kong” in 2021 and returning to the role in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” in 2024. Action News 5 reported that she was a senior at the Texas School for the Deaf, which acknowledged her death on Instagram. Her father, Joshua Hottle, also discussed her death in an American Sign Language livestream. The report described Hottle as an Atlanta native from a multigenerational Deaf family who began acting in commercials.