Overview
- Local authorities say the single-vehicle crash occurred in Ijamsville early Tuesday and that Hottle, 18, was a passenger who was taken to a trauma center and later pronounced dead.
- The Frederick County Sheriff’s Office said the 1995 Honda Accord left the road and struck a culvert, the 19-year-old driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and excessive speed is believed to be a contributing factor.
- Her father, Joshua Hottle, confirmed the death in a Facebook livestream delivered in American Sign Language and said he was traveling from Texas to identify and claim his daughter’s body.
- Texas School for the Deaf, where Hottle was a senior, publicly confirmed her death and asked for privacy while offering support to students and staff.
- Hottle was best known for playing Jia in the MonsterVerse films and for raising deaf representation on screen; investigators will complete the traffic-unit probe and officials may release further findings such as a coroner’s report or charges later.