The 18-year-old deaf actress became widely known for playing Jia in Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.  Her authentic use of American Sign Language brought a powerful sense of representation to millions of viewers. Kaylee was also a student at the Texas School for the Deaf and had a promising career ahead of her.  Her sudden passing following a Maryland car crash has brought an outpouring of tributes from family, friends, fans, and fellow performers.

Former child star Kaylee Hottle, best known for her role in Godzilla vs Kong, died this week at age 18 in a horror car crash.

The deaf actress’ dad, Joshua Hottle, confirmed the tragic news to TMZ – and just days after the July 21 accident, her cause of death has been revealed.

Kaylee’s cause of death was due to multiple blunt force injuries, ruling her manner of death an accident, according to the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, per People.

On Tuesday, her father explained in American Sign Language (ASL) that the fatal crash had occurred in Maryland in an emotional livestream on Facebook.

Joshua, who was in Texas when he got a call about the accident, signed that he received a follow-up call from authorities that let him know his daughter’s heart had stopped beating on the way to hospital.

He told TMZ he was flying to Maryland to claim his daughter’s body.

According to a statement from police, the car she was in “swerved off the road and into a ditch” at 3am, Page Six confirmed.

Kaylee was one of two passengers in the car, which was being driven by a 19-year-old when it “travelled off the right side of the two-lane roadway and struck a culvert.”

“Excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor in the collision,” the statement continued.

The driver was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, while the other passenger denied medical treatment at the scene.

Kaylee was rushed to a local trauma centre and was later pronounced dead.

The crash remains under investigation.