Tucker and Menchaca were from the same platoon as the GIs that allegedly committed these crimes. Apparently the way that they were mutilated made some of the other guys in the platoon associate their abduction and murder with the events in March.
I read in comments elsewhere that the two GIs killed were beheaded, castrated, and had their members stuffed into their mouths. (This would support a sex-attack retribution interpretation.) However, the poster didn't have any citations. Has anyone else read any confirmation of this? The brigade itself has been placed on a news blackout since the end of June, so there are no emails or phone calls coming from them to the folks back home.
The 502nd is on its second tour over there, arriving back there last October. They've lost over 160 troops since the war began, and suffered over 230 IED attacks on this tour. Their FOB burned down in February. Mamoudiyah is a hell-hole - that's the city where a suicide bomber blew up the emergency room of this hospital a few months ago.
These guys have been through the meatgrinder, and don't see an end in sight. If this crime is indeed confirmed, they are going to be the targets of even less cooperation and more retributive attacks.