(Kaylee Hottle. Photo Credit: Vanguard News)
Actress Kaylee Hottle, 18, starred in two “Godzilla” movies.early on Tuesday in an automobile collision in the US state of Maryland, according to authorities.
According to the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Hottle and another passenger were in a 1995 Honda Accord driven by a 19-year-old man when the vehicle veered off a two-lane highway and struck a culvert.
The force stated that excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision, noting that officers responded to the scene around 2:52am (0652 GMT) on Tuesday and are investigating the crash.
Hottle was taken to hospital, where she was later pronounced d£ad, police said, adding that the driver sustained injuries not believed to be life-threatening, while the other passenger declined medical treatment.
The actress, who is deaf, played the major role of “Jia” in “Godzilla v Kong” and its sequel, “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.” She was nominated in 2024 for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, first announced her passing in American Sign Language through a tearful video shared on social media.
The Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottle was a student, described her death as a tremendous loss in a statement on social media, saying its thoughts were with her family, friends, classmates and everyone who knew and loved her during the difficult time.
The school added that it had very limited information at the time and appealed to the public to respect the privacy of Hottle’s family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances surrounding the accident.