Report: Exotic Dancer Set on Fire to Remain Hospitalized

SHERMAN OAKS, Calif. -- The exotic dancer who was recently set on fire outside a club in Tarzana needs to remain hospitalized for several more weeks while being treated for 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns over 40 percent of her body, it was reported Tuesday.

Roberta Busby has undergone several painful skin grafts at the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks and faces still more after being attacked nearly three weeks ago outside Babes N' Beer, where she worked.

Doctors told the Los Angeles Times that the Brazil-born Busby is stable but needs to remain in the hospital for at least several more weeks, leaving relatives to take turns caring for her daughters, Gabriella, 5, and Marissa, 8.

Her wounds extend from her waist to her face and are so severe that she can barely talk, her brother, Rodrigo Busby, told the Los Angeles Times.

Police say Busby had a heated argument with Rianne Theriault-Odom, 29, on Feb. 5 at Babes N' Beer, a bikini-dancing and sports bar near the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Oxnard Street.

Theriault-Odom then allegedly doused Busby with gasoline from a soda bottle and set her on fire. A district attorney spokeswoman said that Theriault-Odom and Busby didn't know each other and that the motive for the attack is unclear.

Theriault-Odom, a Tarzana resident, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, mayhem and torture and is being held in lieu of $1 million bail. Nathaniel Petrillo, 22, who was arrested with Theriault-Odom, was released after authorities found insufficient evidence to prove he participated in the attack.

The Times reported that donations to help Busby's daughters can be made out to "Rodrigo Busby for the benefit of the children of Roberta Busby" and dropped off at any Washington Mutual branch or mailed to 3535 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., #256, Westlake Village, CA 91362.

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