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.
Three people were inside the vehicle that 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 was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kaylee’s identity was confirmed by her father, Joshua Hottle. Kaylee is a child actress best known for her role as ‘Jia’ in the 2021 film, “Godzilla vs. Kong,” and its 2024 sequel “Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire.”
Hottle is originally from Georgia and was born into an all-deaf family spanning four generations. All of her relatives on her father’s side are deaf. Kaylee’s fluency in American Sign Language (ASL) afforded her opportunities at a young age.
She started acting 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 also appeared in “Ten Deaf Children, One Powerful Message,” produced by ASL Nook in 2018, and directed by Sheena McFeely.
No additional details on the accident have been released. Joshua created an ASL message about his daughter’s death on his Facebook page.
