Kaylee Hottlethe young actress remembered for playing little Jia in the MonsterVerse, in installments such as Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) y Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), died today, July 21, 2026, in a car accident in Frederick County, Maryland. Hottle was 19 years old.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, announced her death on a Facebook livestream using sign language (he is deaf, as is his daughter). The Texas School for the Deaf, where Kaylee was a senior, confirmed the death on the school's social media, sharing the following statement:
“It is with deep sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away in a car accident.
“Our hearts go out to Kaylee's family, friends, classmates and everyone who knew and loved Kaylee during this very difficult time.
“At this time, we have very limited information and ask that everyone respect the privacy of Kaylee's family and refrain from sharing or speculating about the circumstances of the accident.”
The Frederick County Sheriff's Office, via Baltimore's WBAL-TV, revealed that the single-vehicle crash occurred in the early hours of July 21, shortly before 3 a.m., in Ijamsville, Maryland, with the preliminary investigation indicating that Hottle was a passenger in a Honda Accord, driven, possibly at excessive speed, by a 19-year-old Maryland man. The Accord apparently went off the road and hit a culvert. The driver suffered minor injuries, while another passenger was unharmed. Hottle was pronounced dead after being taken to the hospital.
Hottle played Jia in the MonsterVerse, a little deaf orphan girl adopted by Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), who develops an affinity with Kong. In addition to this role, Hottle appeared in an episode of the series Magnum P.I. in 2021, and had a film project in pre-production titled What Doesn’t Kill Us.
Rest in peace, Kaylee Hottle.
Source: https://cine3.com/fallece-joven-actriz-kaylee-hottle-monterverse/
