One of the things I can't figure out is that the limbs appeared to be bending pretty evenly prior to the bows breaking. It felt like the backing just couldn't handle the stress. That's why I suspected grain runoff.
It's hard to tell from the pics cause they're after the breaks, but I put a lot of thought into reflexing evenly across the limbs, but maybe not enough. I think you're probably right pearly. Your explanation makes the most sense.
This is driving me crazy!