John Sidney Makin was born on February 14, 1845, in Dapto, near Wollongong, Australia. He was the son of William Makin, an assigned convict, and Ellen Bolton. John was the fourth of eleven children in his family. He lived in a large household during his early years.

Sarah Jane Sutcliffe was born on December 20, 1845, in Sussex Street, Sydney. She was the daughter of Emanuel Sutcliffe, a miller and former convict, and Ellen Murphy. Sarah was married for the first time to a mariner named Charles Edwards on April 29, 1865, in Sydney. Later, she married John Makin on August 27, 1871, in Dapto. Together, they had at least ten children, five sons and five daughters.

In about 1881, John Makin worked as a drayman for a local brewery. His life took a turn when he was convicted of stealing in November 1881, which resulted in a three-month prison sentence. After that, he found work as a driver for a green grocer’s van. In May 1886, he was involved in an accident that knocked down a young child while driving the van. The child suffered a concussion and was reported to be in serious condition.

After John was injured in an accident, the couple began 'baby farming'. This meant they cared for illegitimate babies in exchange for payment. Reports described John as not very hardworking. In fact, for three of the four years before November 1892, he did very little work. Even with some income from a property he inherited from his mother, who passed away in 1890, the family appeared to be quite poor.

By October 1892, when authorities discovered the bodies of two infants buried in the yard of their house in Macdonaldtown, the Makin family had moved to 6 Wells Street in Redfern. At that time, John and Sarah lived there with their two-year-old son, Cecil, and their daughters, Blanche and Florence, who were 18 and 17, respectively. Two of their older sons, William and Percy, were living separately in Wollongong, while their daughter Clarice had left to work as a domestic servant. Other daughters, Minnie and Daisy, were not living with the family at that time.

John and Sarah Makin were involved in a series of illegal adoptions known as baby farming. They adopted several infants from young mothers who needed help. Instead of taking care of the babies, it is believed that they harmed many of them.

On October 11, 1892, workers digging in the backyard of the Makins' home in Macdonaldtown discovered the decomposed bodies of two infants. This discovery led to further investigations. Over the next month, more bodies were found buried in various places where the Makins had lived. In total, the remains of fifteen infants were discovered.

The police began to piece together the timeline of these adoptions and the disappearances of the children. John's and Sarah's youngest child was taken from them, and they were arrested. The couple was charged with the murder of one particular child, Horace Amber Murray, along with the deaths of other children connected to their baby-farming efforts.

During the trial, evidence was presented, but many of the bodies were too decomposed to determine the exact cause of death. Some reports suggested that blood was found on the clothing of the infants, leading to suspicions of foul play. Witnesses, including mothers who had given their babies to the Makins, testified against them.

On March 9, 1893, Mary Murray’s murder charge was confirmed, and John and Sarah were found guilty. They were sentenced to death. However, Sarah’s sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.

The couple's case made headlines across the country and raised awareness about the dangers of baby farming. John was executed on August 15, 1893, while Sarah served time in various prisons. After many years, her health declined, and she was eventually released from prison in 1911. Sarah died in 1918.