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Published 10:06 23 Jul 2026 GMT
The cause and manner of death of Godzilla vs. Kong actress Kaylee Hottle have been officially confirmed.
According to the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the 18-year-old actress died from multiple blunt force injuries, with her death ruled an accident.
The confirmation comes as new pictures from the crash scene reveal the damage sustained by the car she was traveling in during the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Images obtained by TMZ show the 1995 Honda Accord almost unrecognizable after the collision.
The front of the vehicle was completely crushed, with the hood caved in from the impact.
The front passenger-side door was left hanging open, while the car's wheels were missing their hubcaps before the vehicle was eventually towed from the scene.
The Frederick County Sheriff's Department in Maryland confirmed Hottle was one of two passengers inside the car involved in the fatal single-vehicle crash.
Police previously said the vehicle, driven by a 19-year-old man, "travelled off the right side of the two-lane roadway and struck a culvert" at around 3 a.m. on Tuesday, per News.com.au.
"Excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision," the police statement continued.
The driver was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, while a second passenger declined medical treatment.
Hottle was transported to a local trauma center, where she was later pronounced dead.
Newly obtained emergency dispatch recordings have also shed light on the moments after the crash.
Because Hottle was deaf, first responders immediately tried to get assistance from anyone who could communicate using sign language or access an interpreter application.
One responder could be heard saying: "If anybody has access to the interpreter app on the phones, can you please start this way? Because we need a sign language interpreter."
Dispatch records indicated Hottle was unconscious when emergency crews arrived.
Officials also noted she was visiting Maryland from out of state, while the friend traveling with her did not have contact information for her family, making notification more difficult.
The investigation into the collision remains ongoing under the Frederick County Sheriff's Office Traffic Unit.
The late star became known for playing Jia in 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, starring opposite Rebecca Hall as Dr. Ilene Andrews, before reprising the role in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, first confirmed the tragedy after posting an emotional livestream on Facebook using American Sign Language while he was in Texas.
He explained he received a phone call from Maryland police informing him about the collision before later learning that his daughter's heart had stopped while she was being transported to the hospital.
In an interview with TMZ, Joshua said he was flying to Maryland to bring his daughter home.
He also captioned his Facebook post with the words: "I am taking a flight that I never would like to take."
Hottle's mother, Ketsi Hottle, paid tribute to her daughter in a tearful Instagram video, writing that it had been a "privilege to be" the young actress's mother.
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Published 14:24 21 Jul 2026 GMT
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Published 14:52 21 Jul 2026 GMT
Kaylee Hottle, the deaf actress who played Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong and its sequel Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, has died following a car accident in Maryland.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed the news to TMZ and in a 23-minute Facebook livestream delivered in American Sign Language.
He said he received a call about a serious car accident on Tuesday morning and was told shortly afterwards that his daughter's heart had stopped on the way to the hospital.
Joshua said he was flying from Texas to Maryland to claim her body.
Details of the accident remain limited.
Kaylee was involved in a car accident in Maryland on Tuesday morning, July 21.
Emergency services responded and she was transported towards a hospital, but her heart stopped en route.
No further details about the circumstances of the crash, including the location, whether other vehicles were involved, or whether anyone else was injured, have been released at the time of writing.
Maryland authorities have not yet issued a public statement.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Kaylee Hottle was an American actress born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2007.
She came from an all-deaf family spanning four generations of deaf relatives on her father's side. She was fluent in American Sign Language from birth.
She got her start in front of the camera at nine years old, appearing in a public service announcement for the video messaging app Glide, which is widely used within the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
In 2017, she appeared in a commercial for Convo Relay, a video relay service.
In 2018, she featured in a short film called 10 Deaf Children: One Powerful Message, produced by ASL Nook.
It was the Convo commercial that changed everything.
An assistant director from the 2017 film Kong: Skull Island saw it and passed Kaylee's name to casting director Sarah Halley Finn, who was looking for a deaf actress to play the character Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong.
Kaylee was cast when she just was 13 years old.
Kaylee played Jia, a young deaf orphan who is the last surviving member of the Iwi people from Skull Island.
Jia is the only character who can communicate with Kong, doing so through sign language.
She is raised by Dr Ilene Andrews, played by Rebecca Hall, and acts as the emotional heart of the film.
Godzilla vs. Kong was released in 2021 and grossed $470 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful films released during the pandemic era.
Kaylee's performance was widely praised, particularly for bringing a quiet emotional depth to a franchise built around spectacle.
Hall and co-star Alexander Skarsgård both learned American Sign Language so they could communicate with Kaylee on set when they were not filming.
Hall has spoken in multiple interviews about how the experience of working with Kaylee changed the way she approached the role.
Kaylee reprised the role of Jia in Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, released in March 2024.
In the sequel, Jia's role is significantly expanded. She discovers a deeper connection to the Hollow Earth and plays a central role in the story's climax.
The film grossed $572.5 million worldwide and received generally positive reviews from audiences, though critics were mixed. Kaylee was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor for her work in the film.
At the world premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood on March 25, 2024, Kaylee walked the red carpet alongside Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, and Dan Stevens.
Outside the Godzilla franchise, Kaylee appeared in the NBC reboot of Magnum P.I., playing a character named Joon in a season four episode.
According to IMDb, she had a film in pre-production at the time of her death titled What Doesn't Kill Us. No further details about the project have been released.
Joshua Hottle announced his daughter's death in a 23-minute Facebook livestream conducted entirely in American Sign Language. He was visibly distraught throughout.
He said he had received a call informing him Kaylee had been in a serious car accident.
A second call came shortly after, telling him that her heart had stopped while she was being taken to hospital.
He said he was flying from Texas to Maryland to be with her.
The livestream was shared widely across social media on Tuesday morning and was the first public confirmation of Kaylee's death, before TMZ published its report.
Tributes have begun pouring in from across the entertainment industry and the deaf community.
Kaylee was seen as a trailblazer for deaf representation in mainstream Hollywood, having landed a major franchise role at just 13 years old in a film that was seen by tens of millions of people worldwide.
Her casting in Godzilla vs. Kong was widely celebrated as a rare example of authentic deaf casting in a blockbuster, with a deaf actress playing a deaf character and using real ASL on screen.
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures, the studios behind the Godzilla franchise, have not yet issued a public statement at the time of writing.
Kaylee Hottle had appeared in two of the highest-grossing monster movies ever made.
She had been nominated for a Saturn Award, had a film in pre-production, and came from a family where deafness was not a limitation but a culture, and she brought that to every role she played.
For millions of deaf and hard-of-hearing children who watched Godzilla vs. Kong, Jia was the first time they saw someone like them at the centre of a Hollywood blockbuster.
That representation came from Kaylee.
This is a developing story. VT will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.
Published 10:26 22 Jul 2026 GMT
Newly obtained emergency dispatch audio via Page Six reveals critical details from the scene of the single-vehicle collision that killed actress Kaylee Hottle in Maryland.
The 18-year-old performer, widely recognized for her role in the blockbuster film Godzilla vs. Kong and its sequel, was traveling as a passenger when the vehicle crashed in Frederick County.
Emergency response records indicate that first responders faced communication challenges upon arriving at the scene. Because the young actress was deaf, personnel immediately sought resources to assist in gathering information and evaluating her condition.
The incident has triggered widespread mourning across both the entertainment community and the Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottle was completing her senior year. Investigators are still working to determine the full sequence of events leading up to the crash.
According to official Frederick County Sheriff, Fire, and EMS audio logs, emergency workers reaching the site quickly noted the need for specialized assistance. The responding crew requested help to find a person who knew sign language or had an interpreter app available on their phone.
One responder explicitly stated, “If anybody has access to the interpreter app on the phones, can you please start this way? Because we need a sign language interpreter.”
The logs further reveal that Hottle was unconscious when emergency personnel arrived. Dispatch records noted that the actress was visiting the area from out of state. The friend accompanying her did not have contact details for Hottle's family, which complicated initial notification efforts.
The dispatch audio provides insight into the force of the impact on Windsor Road in Ijamsville. First responders at the site described heavy front-end damage to the vehicle. The car had traveled approximately 10 feet off the main roadway before coming to rest inside a culvert.
A preliminary statement issued by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that deputies and rescue personnel responded to the block at approximately 2:52AM Investigators determined that a 1995 Honda Accord, operated by a 19-year-old male from Frederick, veered off the right side of the two-lane road.
Officials believe excessive speed contributed to the incident. The driver survived with injuries described as non-life-threatening, while a second passenger declined medical care at the scene. Hottle was rushed to a nearby trauma center, where she was pronounced dead.
The actress's father, Joshua Hottle, learned of the crash while traveling in Texas and subsequently confirmed the news. In a video posted to Facebook using American Sign Language, he explained that his daughter's heart stopped during transit to the hospital.
Joshua Hottle shared the profound difficulty of the situation, captioning his post with the words, “I am taking a flight that I never would like to take,” as he prepared to travel to Maryland.
The active investigation into the crash remains under the direction of the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit.
A young deaf actress, best known for her starring roles in two Godzilla movies, has died after being involved in a serious car accident.
Kaylee Hottle, who played Jia in the blockbuster movies, was just 19 years old when she died.
Her father, Joshua Hottle, announced the tragic news today in a 23-minute-long live stream on social media, captioned: "I am taking a flight that I never would like to take."
He told TMZ that he learned Kaylee was involved in a serious car accident, and he was called shortly after to be told that her heart stopped on the way to the hospital.
The young actress comes from a multi-generational deaf family and began her career in a commercial for the live video messaging app Glide, which is used by many members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, when was just nine years old.
Hottle is also credited with an appearance in the Magnum P.I. reboot series, appearing in an episode in season four as a character named Joon.
In Godzilla vs. King Kong, Hottle played Jia, a teenager who communicates with Kong via sign language and lives on Skull Island with Rebecca Hall's character Dr. Ilene Andrews, and she reprised the role in 2024's Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.
Hottle's former school, the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin, Texas, shared a heartfelt statement in the wake of her untimely death.
It said: "It is with profound sadness that we share the heartbreaking news that one of our TSD seniors, Kaylee Hottle, tragically passed away yesterday in a car accident in Frederick, Maryland.
"Our hearts are with Kaylee’s family, friends, classmates, and everyone who knew and loved her during this incredibly 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 surrounding the accident.
"We recognize this loss will have a significant impact on our TSD community.
"Counseling and support services are available for students and staff who may need them, with additional support being provided for Kaylee’s classmates and friends.
"Please keep Kaylee’s loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together."
Published 15:32 21 Jul 2026 GMT
Kaylee Hottle, the young deaf actress best known for portraying Jia in two Godzilla blockbusters, has died after being involved in a serious car crash, it was confirmed by her father in a heartbreaking livestream.
The actor’s death was revealed by her father, Joshua Hottle, who shared an emotional 23-minute livestream on social media. The video was captioned: "I am taking a flight that I never would like to take."
Her father, Joshua, who is also deaf, delivered the entire livestream in American Sign Language as he announced his daughter's passing and paid tribute to her life.
Speaking to TMZ, he explained that he was first informed Kaylee had been involved in a serious car accident before receiving another call a short time later telling him that her heart had stopped on the way to the hospital.
Hottle came from a multi-generational deaf family and began acting at just nine years old, landing a commercial for the live video messaging app Glide, which is widely used within the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
In addition to her film work, she also appeared in the reboot of Magnum P.I., playing a character named Joon in a fourth-season episode.
Hottle was best known for her role as Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong, where she played a young girl who communicates with Kong using sign language while living on Skull Island alongside Rebecca Hall's character, Dr. Ilene Andrews. She later returned to the role in 2024's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Published 14:57 24 Aug 2025 GMT
A cause of death has officially been released for adult film star Kylie Page, who died earlier this summer at the age of 28.
Just days before her death, Page had reportedly been celebrating a major milestone. TMZ previously reported that she had recently marked 60 days sober, was attending AA meetings, and had even been leading some of them herself.
The outlet also noted that Page appeared to be focused on staying clean, making the circumstances of her death even more devastating.
Page had a history of substance abuse stretching back to her teenage years. After years of struggling, she entered rehab and later lived in a sober house while working to rebuild her life.
According to the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s public record, Page—real name Kylie Pylant—passed from the “effects of fentanyl and cocaine.”
Her death was ruled an accident and records show she died at her home on June 25, 2025.
Page’s death rocked the adult entertainment industry, where she had been a familiar face. She appeared in the Netflix docuseries Hot Girls Wanted: Turned On, executive produced by Rashida Jones, and discussed both her career and her battles with drugs in the show’s third episode.
In a statement released in June, adult site Brazzers wrote: “The Brazzers team is deeply saddened to learn of Kylie Page’s passing. Kylie will be remembered for her laughter, kindness and bringing light wherever she went.”
Her friend and fellow performer Leah Gotti also shared memories with AVN, saying Page was an “infectious person” who had a “really light and bright” personality. Gotti added: “She just loved to smile, laugh, and really valued living life to the fullest and being free as much as possible.”
Her agency, Hussie Models, also issued a statement through spokesperson Alex Mack: “Losing Kylie is truly heartbreaking. She was a kind soul, a wonderful friend, and always brought warmth and energy wherever she went. That’s exactly how I’ll always remember her, full of life and kindness.”
Our thoughts are with Page's loved ones at this time.
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