Friends and family of Tracey Tetso say they’re not surprised that her husband, Dennis, was charged Thursday with murdering her more than four years after she went missing on her way to a Motley Crue concert.

“It’s a start,” said Tracey’s father, Rick Gardner. “It’s four years and four months late. It’s been a long time coming. If he’s guilty, I’m glad of it.”

Gardner said he knew Dennis Tetso was controlling and possessive of his daughter.

“I didn’’t care for him from the beginning,” Gardner said. “My daughter stood up to him. ... At least she did when she was alive.”

Tracey’s friend, Alisha Barnes, whom Tracey met through Dennis, said she was “extremely happy” police had made an arrest.

“I’m not surprised,” Barnes said, referring to the fact that Dennis Tetso has been charged in the case. “I’m looking forward to this case moving forward.”

Another friend, Monika Barilla, who organized searches, vigils and other events for Tracey, said she had mixed emotions.

“I’m happy in one sense,” she said. “But happiness has turned to the realization that she’s definitely gone.”

Tracey’s grandmother, Rose Smith, said she didn’t wish to comment on the case, except to say, “All I want to do is find my granddaughter.”

Dennis Joseph Tetso, 44, of the 7800 block of Bluegrass Road, was indicted Monday by a grand jury, which charged him with the murder of his wife, police said. He was arrested about 3 p.m. yesterday at his place of employment without incident, according to police.

“Detectives and prosecutors meet constantly on these cold cases,” said Baltimore County Police Chief James Johnson. “No homicide case in Baltimore County is ever put on an inactive status. We’re constantly applying new technology to help us clear these cold cases.”

Investigators say that police were called at approximately 8:49 p.m. on March 7, 2005, to the Bluegrass Road address after receiving a call about a missing person.

When they arrived, Dennis Tetso told officers that his wife had left for the concert in Washington in her black, 1996 Pontiac Trans Am, and never returned, police said. Tracey was last heard from around 3 p.m. on March 6, 2005. She was 32 years old at the time of her disappearance.

Baltimore County police spokesman Cpl. Mike Hill said surveillance footage of the car indicated a man was driving the vehicle.

Detectives learned that her car had passed through the southbound side of the Harbor Tunnel on March 6, 2005, just before 8 p.m. Investigators learned that Tracey never made it to the concert, and her car was found on March 17, 2005, at a hotel parking lot in the 6600 block of Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie.

Hill said investigators in the cold case squad reviewed the case “many, many times” before deciding last week to meet with prosecutors about it. After that meeting with the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office, they decided to bring the case to the grand jury, Hill said. He said “new technology” aided the decision to proceed against Dennis Tetso.

Hill said Dennis Tetso did not provide police with a motive for the crime: “We have no idea. Hopefully one day we’ll be able to find that out.”

He added that Dennis Tetso was not cooperative with police. “We would have hoped he would have been more cooperative. We did not get a lot of information from him,” Hill said.

Investigators continue looking for Tracey Testo’s remains.

“We still don’t have Tracey’s body. We’d like to find her body somewhere,” Hill said.

He said police and prosecutors “feel confident” they can win a conviction against Dennis Tetso despite his wife’s missing body.

Dennis Tetso has been charged with first-degree murder and is being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center without bail.

“It’s helpful to know he’s not out walking around getting away with it,” Barilla said. “But until she’s found, there’s still no closure. She was a good friend. It’s still very difficult. You never forget. Every day, you say a prayer and hope she’s found.”

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