Parents Accused Of Kidnapping Their 8 Children From Queens Foster Care Waive Extradition

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBSNewYork) -- The parents accused of abducting their eight children from foster care in Queens could be back in New York within a week.

The children's mother, 28-year-old Shanel Nadal, and their father, 34-year-old Nephra Payne, waived extradition in a Pennsylvania courtroom Wednesday asking to be returned to New York City.

"We're looking forward to getting the Paynes back to New York," said defense attorney Norman Steiner. "We're hoping an investigation is going to exonerate them completely."

Steiner said Payne and Nadal kidnapped their children out of desperation because no one was listening to them.

"Complaints were lodged with the ACS, complaints were lodged with the police," he said. "There were sexual molestation, there was physical abuse, there was starvation."

New York City's Administration for Children's Services says it has not received any complaints against the children's foster parents.

Nadal has told us that her children are all she cares about.

"Just keep my babies safe," she told CBS 2's Christine Sloan outside the courtroom on Wednesday. "That's all I ask for."

Nadal, Payne and their children were found living in a van in Harrisburg.

Their attorney says the kids were taken away from the couple several years ago after two of the boys got into a fight.

"He took the kid for medical attention, took the kids to the doctor, he took the kid later that day or two days later to school and that's when he was arrested," said Steiner.

Both Nadal and Payne each face eight counts of kidnapping.

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