The missing tail could be due to an injury inflicted by another raccoon. Apparently some raccoons, especially when they're still young and with their littermates, carry the tussling for dominance to a point of injury. Because the pursued individual is likely trying to get away from the biter, the hindquarters and tail often receive the brunt of the damage. I'm not sure about how or why an entire family group would be similarly damaged, though.

Thanks, Dana. I thought it might be something like that, inherent in raccoon behavior. I get frequent visits from what I think is the alpha boar and he is a mean piece of work. I have seen him (and his predecessors over the years) behaving very aggressively towards the kits when they are just learning to feed from dishes of cat food in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, my wife and a neighbor lady feel very sorry for feral cats and leave food outside for them. Again thanks for the reply.