Actress Kaylee Hottle died from multiple blunt force injuries sustained in an accident, according to the Maryland Chief Medical Examiner’s office on Wednesday.
The office confirmed the 18-year-old’s cause and manner of death in a statement to NTD on Thursday.
"The manner is accident and the cause is multiple blunt force injuries," the statement reads.
The preliminary investigation has revealed that the 1995 Honda Accord was being driven at the time by a 19-year-old Frederick man. Authorities have not publicly released his name. The driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Kaylee Hottle grew up using American Sign Language (ASL) as her first language, and her family members are also deaf.
Joshua Hottle, Kaylee’s father, stated in a social media post that her heart stopped before she arrived at a hospital after being transported by air from the scene of the accident.
Joshua Hottle also shared a direct message to the driver.
“I have forgiven you. Don’t let this incident ruin the rest of your life,” he said.
The Texas School for the Deaf announced her death on social media. Hottle was a senior at the school in Austin.
In Godzilla vs. Kong and its sequel, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Hottle portrayed Jia, an orphaned girl who looks beyond Kong's fearsome exterior and develops a deep bond with the giant ape, communicating with him through sign language.
Following news of Hottle's death, her Godzilla co-star Millie Bobby Brown paid tribute on Instagram, writing, "I'm so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed, Kaylee."
The actress previously appeared in a 2021 television episode of “Magnum P.I.” She was listed as appearing in the upcoming film “What Doesn’t Kill Us.”
The crash remains under investigation.