Kaylee Hottle was only eighteen when a car crash in California claimed her life last month. She played young Jia in the 2021 monster movie Godzilla vs. Kong. The role won her fans almost overnight. Friends say they still cannot accept it happened. She kept acting after the film, though taking on quieter parts. The crash happened weeks before the news broke publicly on July 21, 2026. National newsrooms ran the story in short order.