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Godzilla vs. Kong actress Kaylee Hottle’s cause of death has been confirmed after she was involved in a single-vehicle collision.
The 18-year-old was one of two passengers in a car that swerved into a culvert at high speed in Frederick, Maryland, on Tuesday morning.
She died of multiple blunt force injuries in the crash, the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has now confirmed to Deadline.
The publication also reports that the manner of death is listed as accidental and an initial autopsy was completed Wednesday morning.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, was the first to reveal the news of her death in a 23-minute livestream on Facebook, later confirmed to TMZ, sharing in American Sign Language (ASL) that she had died after being involved in a car accident in Maryland.
The late actress, who was also deaf, was best known for starring as Jia in two Godzilla films, the first in 2021. She then reprised her role for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire three years later.
Hottle’s father said that officials informed him of the crash, and he had flown out to Maryland to retrieve her body after he had been called and notified that her heart stopped on the way to the hospital.
Her mother, Ketsi Hottle, also posted a video on Instagram in ASL, which she captioned: ‘Privilege to be your mom, Kaylee Hottle.’
Frederick County Sheriff’s Department previously confirmed in a statement that deputies and the county’s fire and rescue service responded to a fatal single-vehicle collision on Windsor Road in Ijamsville at 2.52am on Tuesday, July 21.
The driver of the car, a 1995 Honda Accord, was described as ‘a 19-year-old Frederick man’, with the vehicle travelling off the right side of the two-lane roadway and striking a culvert, possibly at ‘excessive speed’.
While the driver was transported to a local hospital ‘with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening’, the second passenger declined medical treatment at the scene.
The Sun claims that audio from dispatchers revealed first responders ‘scrambled to find an American Sign Language interpreter’ to bring to the scene.
It also reports that both an ambulance and a medevac helicopter were dispatched to the scene to transport Hottle, but she was pronounced dead upon arrival at an area trauma centre.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit.
Millie Bobby Brown paid tribute to Hottle after the news of her death broke, having worked with her on Godzilla vs. Kong.
‘I’m so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed Kaylee,’ the Enola Holmes 3 star, 22, wrote in an Instagram Story, accompanying it with a photo of Hottle in the movie.
Co-star Rebecca Hall also shared her shock, alongside a series of photos of herself with Hottle on the set of the Godzilla films to Instagram.
‘Devastated to hear this news. My heart goes out to your family. You will be missed Kaylee,’ the 44-year-old wrote.
Hottle played a teenager in the Godzilla franchise who lives on Skull Island with Dr Ilene Andrews (Hall) as her adoptive mother, and communicates with King Kong through sign language.
Fellow co-star and Mexican actress Eiza González shared that her ‘heart is absolutely broken’ as she posted a photo of them posing in costume.
‘I’m devastated. I adore you,’ González wrote.
‘Such a heartbreaking loss. We’ve lost our little friend. The deaf community have lost a shining advocate. My heart goes out to all Kaylee’s family and friends,’ added Downton Abbey star Dan Stevens, who was in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire with her.
He also shared their co-star Brian Tyree Henry’s post about Hottle, which was a picture of them and Hall together with her during the press tour.
‘Heartbroken. Losses like this are so hard to understand,’ the Atlanta and Bullet Train star began.
‘Kaylee was such an incredible soul – bright, gifted, loving. To lose her is devastating beyond words. Her light will be missed by all of us who were lucky enough to see her shine.
‘Sending strength, love and the deepest of condolences to her family and friends. Rest in perfect peace, Kaylee.’
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2007, she was scouted by casting director Sarah Halley Finn for the Godzilla role after appearing in an ad for the video relay service app Convo.
Speaking to The AU Review about her starring role, for which she was nominated for a Saturn Award in the the best younger performer in a film category, Kaylee said: ‘I’m acting in monster movies as a deaf person.
‘I want deaf people to know that they can do that too, just like me. There are no limits.’
Actress Marlee Matlin, the only deaf actress to have won the Oscar for best actress (for 1987’s Children of a Lesser God), posted a tribute as well.
‘I am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle,’ Matlin, 60, wrote. ‘May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity.’
‘Such a privilege to have met Kaylee last year. Please be kind to one another. Take the time to listen to your child. Say 🤟🏼 each time you part,’ she added, next to a photo of herself with Hottle at Texas School for the Deaf, where she was a student.
The school also shared a statement following news of her death.
In a Facebook post, it read: ‘It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland.
‘Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly difficult time.’
Legendary Pictures, the production company behind the Godzilla movies, also published a statement on X about the late actress, calling her a ‘cherished member of our film family’.
‘Her kindness, warmth, and remarkable talent touched everyone fortunate enough to work alongside her. Our hearts are with her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her during this unimaginably difficult time.’
