IJAMSVILLE, MD—On July 21, at approximately 2:52 a.m., the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a call of a one-vehicle rollover in the 11400 block of Windsor Road near Knoll Middle School.
There were three people in a car that reportedly swerved off the roadway into a culvert. The driver was taken to an area hospital with non-life -threatening injuries. One passenger declined treatment at the scene. An 18-year-old female who was sitting in the passenger’s seat was later identified as actress Kaylee Hottle. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kaylee Hottle’s identity was confirmed by her father, Joshua Hottle. Kaylee Hottle was an asian-American child actress best known for her role as ‘Jia’ in the 2021 film, Godzilla vs. Kong, and then its sequel in 2024, Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire.
Hottle, who is the daughter of Joshua and is originally from Georgia, was born into an all-deaf family spanning four generations. All of her relatives on her father’s side are deaf. Kaylee Hottle’s fluency in American Sign Language (ASL) afforded her many opportunities at a very young age.
Reports indicate she began her acting career by signing for Public Service Announcements directed by Jules Dameron in 2016, and performed in Mother’s Day, for the Convo Relay in 2017.
Kaylee Hottle also appeared in Ten Deaf Children, One Powerful Message, produced by ASL Nook in 2018, and directed by Sheena McFeely.
No more information is known about the accident at this time. Reports indicate that Joshua Hottle created an ASL message regarding his daughter’s death and posted it on his Facebook account.
