Actress Kaylee Hottle, who starred in Godzilla vs. Kong, was laid to rest in Kyle, Texas, on Monday following a fatal July 21 car crash.
Family and friends gathered in Kyle to remember the 18-year-old deaf actress, who made her feature film debut as a young girl able to communicate with King Kong. Attendees gathered around her gold-trimmed white casket for a final ceremony before her burial.
A black hearse transported Hottle to her final resting place following the outdoor burial gathering.
Hottle previously appeared at public events, including a Los Angeles appearance in March 2024, after making her film debut in 2021.
High School Memorial Service
Before the burial in Kyle, a memorial service honoring Hottle took place at her high school, the Texas School for the Deaf. A closed casket draped with a school banner stood alongside a photo of the actress inside the school auditorium, which was filled to capacity.
Mourners gathered in the school courtyard following the indoor service. Program covers featured a photo of Hottle smiling alongside the phrase, "Forever a Ranger. Forever in our hearts."
A black hearse ferried Hottle from the high school venue toward the burial site.
The service auditorium held a full crowd of family, classmates, and supporters who paid tribute to the late student.
Friends and relatives conversed in the outdoor courtyard after the high school ceremony concluded.
The ceremony program opened with a musical prelude featuring an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. Following opening remarks, Hottle's sister Jasmine delivered a speech, followed by a tribute from her father Joshua Hottle, a blessing from a pastor, and additional tributes from classmates.
Investigation into Maryland Crash
Hottle was killed on July 21 in rural Maryland when a 1995 Honda Accord left the road at high speeds and struck a culvert, coming to rest in a ditch. Hottle was a passenger in the vehicle alongside an unnamed 19-year-old male driver and a male backseat passenger.
Hottle's father told TMZ that she had been visiting a female friend in Maryland who was not in the car. Her parents reportedly did not know the male driver or the male backseat passenger. Law enforcement sources stated excessive speed is believed to be a factor in the collision.
The Frederick County Sheriff's Office confirmed to The Daily Mail on Thursday that alcohol impairment was ruled out as a cause of the crash. Results from a drug test on the driver have not yet returned, and authorities have not determined if criminal charges will be filed.
Hottle's parents did not know either of the two males traveling in the vehicle at the time of the fatal crash.
Law enforcement officials noted that the 1995 Honda Accord veered off the road at high speeds before hitting the ditch.
The driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while the male backseat passenger received no medical treatment at the scene. Hottle's manner of death was classified as accidental resulting from "multiple blunt force injuries," with an autopsy completed on Wednesday morning.
Wreckage and Law Enforcement Findings
Photos of the crashed 1995 Honda Accord showed extensive structural damage to the vehicle. The front section was almost totally crushed, with a crumpled hood, a destroyed bumper, and grass and mud twisted in the front wheels.
The Daily Mail contacted the Frederick County Sheriff's Office for further comment regarding the ongoing investigation. The family waited for official information after the completion of the autopsy before establishing final ceremony schedules.
Father Announcement and School Statement
Joshua Hottle, who is also deaf, broke the news of his daughter's death during a Facebook livestream titled "I am taking a flight that I never would like to take." Speaking in ASL, he described flying from Texas to claim her body after officials called to report her heart stopped en route to the hospital.
The Texas School for the Deaf announced her passing in a Facebook post, writing: "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."
The school's statement added: "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."
The school noted that counseling and support services were made available for students and staff, concluding: "We recognize this loss will have a significant impact on our TSD community... Please keep Kaylee's loved ones in your thoughts as we mourn this tremendous loss together."
Film Career and On-Set Experience
Hottle played Jia, a young deaf girl who formed a special bond and communicated via sign language with King Kong, in the 2021 film Godzilla vs. Kong and its 2024 sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Actress Rebecca Hall co-starred as Jia's adopted mother, Dr. Ilene Andrews.
In a 2021 interview with The Daily Moth, Hottle said of her role: "Because Kong and my character had a special bond. We signed with each other." She noted that translating the script into ASL with her parents and an assistant presented challenges on set.
Hottle explained: "I was fine with memorizing the script and signing my lines, but the tough part was signing out the "spoken" parts because we had to change it, and sometimes they’d tell us it was wrong but they didn’t understand that ASL changes almost everything." She added that director and producer feedback required adjustments because sign structures differed from written scripts, causing a brief delay before production resolved the misunderstanding.
Hottle also taught sign language to members of the cast and crew. "Teaching the cast how to sign. They had never interacted with a deaf person before," she said. "I had to explain how to sign and use facial expressions. That was the hard part, but when they picked up on it, it was fine. I didn’t really have challenges, they were very accommodating. Some of the workers learned how to sign."
Co-Star Tributes and Personal Life
Co-star Alexander Skarsgard praised Hottle in a 2021 interview with Junkee, noting that he learned ASL off-camera and stating she "steals the movie." Skarsgard said: "It's her first movie. It's fascinating how comfortable she is in front of the camera and how quickly she takes notes from the director Adam [Wingard]. He'll explain something and she'll be like "got it, got it," then she'll just do it and everyone's like "the f- … how did she?" She's so professional and just incredibly … there's so much going on on her face, her expression and the subtleties of that is fascinating to watch."
Co-star Millie Bobby Brown also paid tribute to Hottle following her death. Hottle came from an all-deaf family, according to IMDb.
In addition to her feature film roles, Hottle appeared in an episode of Magnum P.I., starred in a public service announcement for video chat messenger Glide, and appeared in a commercial for Convo Relay. She was featured in 10 Deaf Children: One Powerful Message and competed as an athlete on the Texas School for the Deaf track and field team.
