FILE - Kaylee Hottle appears at the premiere of "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," in Los Angeles on March 25, 2024. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

An actress known for her role in two “Godzilla” films died Tuesday morning as a result of a car crash in Ijamsville.

Kaylee Hottle, 18, of Kyle, Texas, was a deaf actress who played Jia in “Godzilla vs. Kong” and “Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.”

She was a passenger in a Honda Accord that struck a culvert in the 11400 block of Windsor Road sometime before 3 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a Frederick County Sheriff’s Office press release.

Hottle’s father, Joshua Hottle, told TMZ that his daughter was killed in a car crash early Tuesday morning in Maryland.

The car was driven by a 19-year-old Frederick man, according to the sheriff’s office, and another passenger besides Hottle was also in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

The driver was taken to a local hospital with injuries believed not to be life-threatening.

The other passenger declined medical treatment. The press release did not identify the driver or other passenger.

Hottle was taken to an area trauma center, where she was later pronounced dead.

“Excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision,” according to the sheriff’s office.

“The crash remains under investigation by the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Unit,” the sheriff’s office press release states. “Anyone who witnessed the collision or has information related to this investigation is asked to contact Dfc. Rose at 301-600-1046.”

In a statement, Amy Mowl, the director of public relations for the Maryland School for the Deaf, which has a campus in Frederick, wrote: “Although Kaylee Hottle was not a student at the Maryland School for the Deaf, many of our students and staff knew her through athletic competitions and other interscholastic events. On behalf of the Maryland School for the Deaf, we extend our heartfelt condolences to Kaylee’s family and friends, and to the Texas School for the Deaf community during this incredibly difficult time.”

The Texas School for the Deaf posted a statement on its Facebook page:

“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.”

Hottle was a native signer of American Sign Language, and her family members are also deaf. Her parents, Joshua and Ketsi Hottle, shared emotional video statements about her death on social media sites.

“Kaylee’s mom and four siblings are crushed,” her father said in ASL in a post from an airport. “They are together at home, grieving. I am on my way to Maryland to bring Kaylee’s body back home.”

Hottle’s heart stopped before she arrived at a hospital, transported by air from the scene of the accident, her father said. “Very grateful for the 18 years we had together — and wish we had more,” he said.

Joshua Hottle also reached out to the driver.

“I have forgiven you,” her father said. “Don’t let this incident ruin the rest of your life.”

“I still feel Kaylee is with us,” her mother said in ASL in a post.

In “Godzilla vs. Kong” and the sequel, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” Hottle played an orphaned girl named Jia who sees beyond Kong’s threatening appearance and forms a special bond with the monster, communicating with him using sign language.

“I’m so devastated to hear this. You will be deeply missed Kaylee,” her “Godzilla” co-star Millie Bobby Brown posted on Instagram.

Co-star Alexander Skarsgård, who learned ASL to communicate with Hottle, told the pop culture website Junkee in 2021 that he and others were impressed by the young ingenue’s professionalism and her ability to quickly incorporate the director’s notes into her acting.

In a 2024 interview with The Associated Press, Hottle said through an interpreter that she hadn’t watched monster movies before she was cast in “Godzilla,” so her father helped her understand the genre.

“I look up to a lot of people, but the one person I look up to, the few people I look up to mostly, are my parents and my sisters,” Hottle said.

Hottle said that when she was working on the first film, she was a bit concerned about whether she would be able to return to her “normal life,” afterward.

“People do recognize me at school, yes, but it’s not as bad as I thought it would be,” Hottle said.

Hottle 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.”

“I’m so heartbroken. My heart goes out to her family during this unimaginable time,” Alaqua Cox, her co-star in that film and fellow deaf actor, wrote on Instagram.

Other prominent deaf actors also shared messages of grief online.

“I am absolutely gutted about the passing of sweet Kaylee Hottle. May her beauty and talent be a memory for eternity,” Oscar winner Marlee Matlin wrote on Instagram.

Fellow Oscar winner Troy Kotsur, who starred in the film “Coda,” wrote that Hottle’s death made him think of his own daughter, and reminded him not to take time for granted.

“I have no words to express on what happened this morning,” Kotsur wrote, offering his “deepest condolences” to the Hottle family.

Frederick News-Post Editor Andrew Schotz and The Associated Press contributed to this story.