A portion of a screenshot provided by Vickie Penewit shows the GoFundMe page created in her name following a stabbing attack that left her son and stepson dead.

GAYLORD, MI - Vickie Penewit survived the worst day of her life a year ago on Monday.

The now 32-year-old Indian River woman was stabbed more than 14 times on June 13, 2015, in an attack that killed her 12-year-old son Timber Brown and his 25-year-old half-brother Jonathan Brown at a home in Washtenaw County's York Township.

Penewit told The Ann Arbor News that she continues to cope with her loss and injuries a year later, but a dispute over money from a GoFundMe.com fundraiser in her name has added insult to injury.

Penewit said a fundraising page using the Brown name and her maiden name, Moore, raised $6,391, but she never saw the money. The woman who started the page contends that Penewit was never supposed to receive the money. A prosecutor reviewed the case but did not issue charges. Penewit feels cheated.

"It's sickening," Penewit said. "Not only that because I didn't get the money raised for me, but because of the people in our own community (that) were stolen from."

She said people from around the country donated to the fund after her family was brutally attacked on a trip to see the NASCAR races at Michigan International Speedway in nearby Brooklyn, Michigan.

The family decided to stay at an acquaintance's home in York Township when rain washed out their plans to camp. There they were attacked by a man, Joseph M. Hall, then 25, who was attempting to rob the home he believed belonged to his drug dealer.

Hall later apologized in court, saying he "snapped" when he committed the stabbing spree that killed Penewit's son, stepson and injured her and two others. He was later sentenced to life in prison. Then 33-year-old Jesse H. Spurlock, who police said stood guard outside the home, was sentenced to 15 to 30 years in prison.

A year later, Penewit is still entangled in the world of law enforcement as she seeks criminal charges for those she says wrongly took the GoFundMe money.

Penewit and her sister, Jennifer Vogel, 47, of Gaylord claim another northern Michigan woman, Sharon Hush, took the money for herself and a few other relatives after a falling out.

Hush acted as spokeswoman for the family, giving media updates from Penewit's bedside while Penewit recovered at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital near Ann Arbor. Hush also set up the GoFundMe after a Detroit-area news reporter suggested it, Vogel said.

The family was supportive at the time, though they did not know Hush well, Vogel said. Penewit was under sedation or on a ventilator and unable to speak for her first month after the attack.

Penewit said the falling out occurred after she got off of the ventilator and asked the majority of people to leave, because she was overwhelmed. Penewit said she was later unable to get the GoFundMe money for a wheelchair and wound gauze.

She noted she owes more than $100,000 in medical expenses. She said can't sue the homeowner, because he didn't cause her injuries - for which she still needs surgery. She also said there was no point in suing her attacker, who she said she supports in prison through her tax dollars.

Hush declined to speak at length on the matter, but called Penewit a "vindictive liar" and indicated that the money was used as intended.

"The money was raised to help her family stay by her bedside, which is where it went," she said. She declined additional comment.

A screenshot of the GoFundMe page provided by Penewit does not specify exactly who in the family was supposed to receive the funds.

"Any and all help to take the (monetary) burden off the family will be greatly appreciated," the page read.

The vague description is a cause for concern when it comes to criminal charges, said Cheboygan County Prosecutor Daryl Vizina.

"I'm not sure this is a criminal act the way the GoFundMe was written," Vizina said. "To show fraud or embezzlement ... it has to deal with the intent. There is some lack of clarity on what it encompasses and what it doesn't encompass."

The Michigan State Police Gaylord post opened an investigation into the matter in September 2015, said MSP Sgt. Jeff Gorno. Although Gorno said the investigation is still listed as open, Vizina said he declined to issue charges about two months ago.

Vogel questioned what the money could have gone toward given the accommodations made for family, but Vizina said Hush and the other family members were able to provide documentation showing thousands of dollars in expenses during their trips to see Penewit.

Vizina said some of those involved offered to give their portion back to Penewit, but she declined. Penewit and Vogel confirmed there were offers to return a portion of the money, but Penewit said she also asked that the money be given back to the donors.

The Ann Arbor News and MLive requested information from GoFundMe but was unable to reach anyone at the company for comment. Its website states, "there is no way to 100% guarantee that a user's GoFundMe donation page contains accurate or truthful information."

GoFundMe recommends that donors only contribute to causes they fully understand and trust.

Vizina said the matter may be best suited for civil court.

Darcie Moran covers cops and courts for MLive and The Ann Arbor News. Email her at dmoran@mlive.com or follow her on Twitter @darciegmoran.