Is the whole move away from horizontal dropouts about stiffness? Maybe a little about brake alignment too?
I see the 24s have went vertical. I'm guessing that's about getting a very short back end. 355mm!!
Unfortunately these things happen all the time. A friend had his bikes knicked out of his garage (attached to the house) while he was sat at dinner!
Stand in a hotel car park at 2-3-4am and I bet you wont see another soul for hours. Easy done.
One caravan is all they'd need.