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Tragic new details revealed about child star Kaylee Hottle’s death at 18

Kaylee Hottle attends the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures world premiere of
Kaylee Hottle attends the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures world premiere of "Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire".

The actress tragically died in a car crash in Maryland at 3 a.m. on Tuesday.

Actress Kaylee Hottle died after the driver of the car she was in swerved off the road and hit a ditch” at 3 a.m. on Tuesday, Page Six can confirm.

The “Godzilla vs. Kong” star was one of two passengers involved in the fatal crash on Windsor Road in Ijamsville, Maryland, the Fredrick County Sheriff’s Department wrote in a press release.

Per police, a 19-year-old was operating a 1995 Honda Accord when the vehicle “traveled off the right side of the two-lane roadway and struck a culvert.”

Kaylee Hottle attends the Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures world premiere of
Kaylee Hottle (seen here in March 2024) was the passenger of a vehicle that crashed in Maryland at 3 a.m. on Tuesday. Getty Images
Kaylee Hottle as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong.
The driver of the vehicle “swerved off the road and hit a ditch,” per a Fredrick County Sheriff’s Department press release. (Seen here: Hottle in “Godzilla vs. Kong”.) ©HBO Max/Courtesy Everett Collection

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“Excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision,” the statement continued.

The driver was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while the other passenger denied medical assistance.

As for Hottle, she was taken to a local trauma center and later pronounced dead. She was 18.

Kaylee Hottle seen outside GMA Studio.
A 19-year-old male was driving a 1995 Honda Accord when the car “traveled off the right side of the two-lane roadway and struck a culvert.” (Seen here: Hottle in March 2024.) GC Images
Kaylee Hottle holding a Kong doll in
The driver was believed to be going at an excessive speed. (Seen here: Hottle in Godzilla vs. King Kong.) ©HBO Max/Courtesy Everett Collection

The crash remains under investigation. TMZ was the first to report the news.

Kaylee’s father, Joshua Hottle, shared the tragic news with the outlet, explaining that he learned about the crash while in Texas.

Joshua, who is deaf, explained in ASL that he learned his daughter’s heart stopped on the way to the hospital and that he was heading to Maryland to claim her body.

Kaylee Hottle as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong.
The driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries while a second passenger denied medical care. (Seen above: Hottle in Godzilla vs. King Kong.) ©HBO Max/Courtesy Everett Collection
Kaylee Hottle at the 2021 Northeast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza.
Hottle (seen here in 2021) was pronounced dead at the hospital. Getty Images

In an emotional Facebook video about Kaylee’s death, he captioned the post, “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take.”

Kaylee, who was also deaf, was born in Georgia but grew up in Austin, attending the Texas School for the Deaf before starting her career in acting when she was 9.

The child star first appeared in a Glide commercial, a video messaging app used widely by the hard-of-hearing and deaf population.

Kaylee Hottle at the 2021 Northeast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza.
The child star (seen here in 2021) was 18. Getty Images
Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle on set for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
An investigation is ongoing. (Seen here: Hottle in “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire”.) ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Kaylee’s breakout role was as Jia in the 2021 Adam Wingard-directed film “Godzilla vs. Kong” alongside Rebecca Hall as Dr. Ilene Andrews.

In the film, the duo’s characters live on Skull Island, and Jia uses sign language to communicate with King Kong.

She also returned for the 2021 sequel, “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.”

Kaylee Hottle as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Kaylee Hottle as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Kaylee Hottle seen outside GMA Studio.
Kaylee Hottle seen outside GMA Studio.
Kaylee Hottle holding a Kong doll in
Kaylee Hottle holding a Kong doll in "Godzilla vs. Kong."
Kaylee Hottle as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Kaylee Hottle as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Kaylee Hottle at the 2021 Northeast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza.
Kaylee Hottle at the 2021 Northeast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza.
Kaylee Hottle at the 2021 Northeast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza.
Kaylee Hottle at the 2021 Northeast Comic Con & Collectibles Extravaganza.
Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle on set for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Rebecca Hall and Kaylee Hottle on set for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Read full story on Page Six

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